Earthbound Omega
by Bouvier
Summary: It's 20 years after Giygas was defeated, and something new stirs among the shadows. It's up to heroes new and old alike to stop this new menace Reviews welcomed
1. Earthbound Omega: Prologue

**Prologue**

_The year is 198X, and peace was recently restored to the world thanks to the valiant efforts of four young kids named Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo. They succeeded in locating Giygas' base in the Lost Underworld and attacked him head on. The fight was intense but the kids emerged victorious and Giygas was nothing more than a memory. The spirits of the heroes left their robotic bodies and traveled back to the present date of 199X to rejoin with their bodies, while the dust settles among the destruction in the past..._

A brisk wind blew through the deep caverns of the Lost Underworld. Many bodies of Starmen, Octobots, and Nuclear Reactor Robots littered the ground. The elaborate structure which housed the evil alien invader Giygas laid in ruins.  
Near the base of the crumbled tower were four small robotic bodies, broken and tattered. One had a red cap on its head. They laid their lifeless, the spirits which were in them having left to reunite with their flesh.  
Out from the dust, a foot suddenly appeared and it kicked the robot with the red cap across the ground. The robot tipped over the edge and fell into a deep ravine.  
"Curse them all," a dark voice growled, "These four kids. How was it that they were capable of bringing Master Giygas crashing to his knees?"  
The dust settled and two figures appeared. One was a Starman, the one who kicked the robotic body, but he was slightly taller than the Final Starman. He was sleeker and wore shinier armor and bore a red insignia that covered his chest.  
The other figure was shorter than the Starman and wore a billowing cloak and hood which hid his features. A slight red glow could be seen however within his hood.  
"Giygas was a fool," the cloaked man declared.  
"Excuse me!" the Starman gasped.  
"Think about it, Supreme Starman," he continued, "During the battle we lost all communications with Giygas. He became disoriented. He couldn't even control what was going on anymore. He was just mindlessly lashing out at four blurry metallic figures. His attacks were barely harming them, and they were just shells of metal housing a simple spirit. It was pathetic to watch. Giygas allowed the power to go to his head and he paid dearly for that."  
"So what are you saying, Georg?" Supreme Starman asked, "Was all of this just a waste of time?"  
"Of course not," Georg answered.  
He walked over to the three remaining robots and picked one of them up.  
"This was merely a test. We have seen the full extent of what this world is capable of. Now it's time to figure out a way to properly extinguish it."  
He tossed the robot body into the air. He raised his hand and twitched a finger. The robot exploded into bits. Supreme Starman shielded his face from the debris.  
"Come," Georg ordered, "We should report back immediately. Time is already being wasted."  
"But will we really be able to come up with a plan efficient enough to stop this Ness and his friends?" Supreme Starman inquired.  
Georg turned back and looked at Supreme Starman.  
"Now who said that this was about those inferior children?" he asked simply and Supreme Starman could catch a glimpse of a sinister grin.  
Georg continued into the ruin of Giygas' base. Supreme Starman looked about at the two remaining robots. He held up two fingers, which fired twin beams at them and exploded them into pieces. Supreme Starman then turned and hurried after Georg.

_199X…_

Children were running around and playing in the peacefulness of Rasberry Park in the quiet town of Pikor. Some were playing on the jungle gym while others were laughing on the swings. A sudden loud popping sound stopped them all in their tracks and they looked to the sky. Several pointed and some screamed as they saw a spider-like ship careening out of control in the air above them.  
The ship continued to fly past the town and into the mountains beyond. It finally crashed against a rock wall. The hatch flew open and Pokey Minch fell to the ground.  
"Drat!" he shouted, "That little pig's butt managed to damage my armor too much. It wasn't even able to go to a different time. Instead it brought me back to this stupid timeline."  
He picked up a rock and hurled it into the air. He then turned back to his ship and started to dig through the inside.  
"Good," he said, pulling out a box, "This wasn't harmed any. All I need is someone stupid enough to help me out a bit and eventually I'll have the way to take out Ness once and for all, and the best part is I don't have to do it with that annoying twit Giygas getting in the way! Ha ha ha ha ha…"

_Somewhere deep in the Scaraba Desert…_

"I feared this day would come."  
A tall, thin figure stood up from his resting spot and walked across a dark room.  
"They were wonderful," he said, "They did everything right and the results were just as it predicted, but how sad is it that nobody could see what was beneath… Now comes the eerie calm before chaos once again strikes and I'm afraid I don't know how to combat it this time, unless…"  
With a wave of his hand, a light came on and lit up a passageway.  
"There may be a way," he went on, "But do I dare take such a risk? Doing such a thing could upset the natural order of the universe, making his intentions so much easier to fulfill. No, despite the risk, it's worth a shot. As long as he never suspects. As long as he never figures it out, we will be okay."  
The man came into a much larger room.  
"Forgive me, ancestors," he said softly, "I had no choice…"  
He raised his hands and suddenly, a pillar lit up with great intensity. On top of this pillar was a jewel. It was red in color and had a shine so brilliant that ordinary men would go blind upon looking at it. Its shape resembled that of an apple…  
"It is time…"

_So starts the next chapter in Earthbound…_


	2. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_The year is 201X and the world has experienced 20 years of peace after the war against Giygas. Many now know the story of the four young heroes who defeated Giygas. The media hype lasted for many years, but now the people have let it dwindle down to a good story about four legends that stood up to save the world…_

The sun was shining and a calm breeze blew through the air of Pikor, a small town in RaptorLand. The citizens all kept a close relationship with each other, mainly by not letting the town grow out of control through intense industrialization. The conservativeness created an overall feeling of tranquility and peace.  
A woman and her son moved through the town's central square.  
"Oh, did you remember to pick up the tomatoes for the soup, Brian?" the woman asked.  
"Yeah, mom," the 15 year old boy replied.  
He picked three ripe tomatoes out of his bag and showed them to her. She smiled.  
Brian Margerson led a fairly typical life. Only he and his mother lived in their small apartment on the outskirts of the town. Brian's father had passed away when he was a little boy.  
After shopping, Brian and his mom went back to their apartment. Another boy was waiting there for them.  
"Brian!" he called out.  
"What's up, Chase?" Brian greeted.  
"Not much," Chase replied, "Just seeing if you wanted to go shoot some hoops with the guys."  
"Mom?" Brian asked.  
"Sure, go ahead," Brian's mom said, "Just be back in time for supper."  
"Okay," Brian said.  
He left his mother and went with Chase.  
"So, how's the day been so far?" Chase asked.  
"Boring," Brian answered, "Just shopping with my mom."  
"Fun," Chase commented.  
They walked through Rasberry Park to get to the basketball courts.  
"Man, don't you wish this town could have more stuff going on sometimes?" Chase complained.  
Brian shrugged and said, "I guess it could be a little livelier, but the way it is now is kind of peaceful."  
"I guess," Chase said, "But still, I'd love to go live in a big city like Eggerton or better yet, Fourside."  
"Fourside's all the way in Eagleland," Brian said.  
"I know," Chase said, "But I'd still like to go there."  
"Just to try and find those four people I bet," Brian commented.  
"Well, that would be just an added bonus," Chase said, "From what my older brother said, they were really the coolest kids back in their day."  
"Saving the world gets you a lot of coolness points I guess," Brian said.  
"You don't seem to care that much," Chase realized.  
"Well, it's just some important part of history," Brian said, "Yeah it was real important but so were other things. I mean, we weren't even alive when it happened."  
"Man and I'd think you would want to at least meet them more than anyone with those powers of yours."  
"Shut up!" Brian hissed.  
Chase backed down. "Sorry," he mumbled, "I guess I did say that kind of loud."  
Brian looked around, but he didn't see anyone staring at them so he figured nobody heard.  
"It's cool," Brian said, "I just… don't really want to be public about it."  
"I get that," Chase said.  
Brian had first realized his psychic powers when he was a little boy. It was shortly after his father had passed away. He was sitting in the backyard playing with his toys when suddenly one of them caught on fire. His mother had blamed it on the strong sun that day but when Brian accidentally cooked a frozen steak, they realized there was a lot more to it than that. Since then, Brian had gone off on his own in the forest near Pikor to work with his new powers and see if he could develop them. He was able to execute a perfect PSI Fire Alpha. He has suspected he can do a PSI Fire Beta but has not tried for fear that he may burn something down. Along with his fire powers, Brian could also summon the power of lightning with PSI Thunder Alpha, and he was able to heal things and absorb any nearby psychic power with PSI Magnet Alpha. He has only shared his gift with his best friend, Chase, after years of keeping it a secret. Chase has been loyal to Brian and hasn't said a word to anybody. Brian just always feared that his powers may make him an outcast, even though he knows some may appreciate it seeing as three of the four legendary heroes also had PSI powers.   
As Brian thought about his years of developing his powers, he and Chase arrived at the basketball courts.  
"Hey, where's everyone going?" Chase called out noticing everyone running off.  
"Didn't you hear it?" one boy asked.  
"Hear what?" Chase asked.  
"There was some loud screeching sound coming from the mountains," he informed him, "Everyone's going to see if there's something going on over there."  
"Weird," Chase said, "Wanna check it out, Brian?"  
Brian was about to answer when suddenly he felt a strange feeling inside of him. He had never felt it before but it drew his attention towards the center of town. He stared in that direction and wondered what this feeling meant.  
"Hello?" Chase called, "Earth to Brian?"  
"Sorry," Brian said, "Sure, let's go check it out."  
"Cool," Chase said. They took off after the rest of the guys. Brian quickly glanced back towards the center of town and then ran after Chase.

The fruit market manager loaded up his truck with bushels of apples. He heard footsteps heavily approaching. He turned around and saw two men standing there staring at him.  
"Sorry, guys," he said, "We're closing early today."  
He continued to load up his truck. The two men walked towards him and stood next to him. He stopped and looked at them again.  
"Look, we'll be open again tomorrow," he explained, "You can always come back then."  
"Weak," one of the men said.  
"Excuse me?" the manager asked.  
"Yes," the other man replied, "He said that most of them were. We don't have to expect any serious opposition in our mission."  
"Good," the first man said. "What are you two talking about?" the manager demanded.  
Without warning, the first man grabbed the manager by the shirt.  
"HEY!" the manager shouted, "Get your hands off me, you…"  
He glanced at the man's hand. He saw a glimpse of some metal.  
"What..." he murmured, "Who are you?"  
The first man replied by throwing the manager into the door of the store. The glass shattered as the manager sailed into his store and crashed into a table full of peaches. The peaches rolled across the floor and out to the two men. One picked his foot up and stomped on the peach.  
"Subject terminated," he remarked.  
The two men continued on their way.

_Meanwhile, in the now flourishing city of Onett…_

A small house in the heart of town was shaken by a terrible scream.  
"Honey! What is it?"  
A woman with long, blonde hair got out of bed and nervously walked into the bathroom. She splashed some cold water on her face and took a deep breath. A man came in after her.  
"Paula?" he asked, "What is it?"  
"I'm not sure, Ness," Paula said, "But I had a very disturbing vision in my dream."  
"Well, I can't say I'm glad to hear something like that," Ness said nervously, "The last time you had a bad dream the world was plunged into a fierce war."  
"I know," Paula said.  
"What did you see?" Ness asked. "I'm not exactly sure," Paula admitted, "I saw a lot of people, and what looked like flashes of metal, and then nothing… Just darkness. Empty darkness. I'm not sure what it could mean."  
"Mommy?" a small voice called out.  
Paula looked past Ness and saw a little boy walking in, rubbing his eyes.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Christian," she said, "Did I wake you?"  
"I heard a scream," their six year old ch  
ild replied.  
"Mommy just had a bad dream," Paula said, "It's nothing to worry about." She exchanged a nervous glance with Ness as they both hoped that it really wasn't anything to worry about.

_Fourside… The largest city in Eagleland. Since Giygas' defeat, the city has grown even more thanks to a generous donation made by Gelgerade Monotoli 15 years ago. Monotoli's company was downsized and its focus was turned more towards bettering the city and the world._

"Good morning, Miss Monotoli," the elevator attendant greeted.  
"Morning," a young girl replied.  
"Going out for an early morning stroll before school?" the attendant asked.  
"Something like that," the girl replied shortly.  
The elevator reached the first floor and the girl stepped off and headed out into the city.  
"Kayla!" a boy called.  
"Hey, Michael," Kayla said with a smile, "How's it going?"  
"Pretty good," Michael said. Kayla Monotoli was 14 years old and the only child of her parents, Lydia and Jerry Monotoli. Her grandfather was Gelgerade Monotoli, famous for his sudden rise to power 20 years ago and how it was all a fraud, but luckily he helped rebuild the reputation of his family. Kayla and Michael walked down the street.  
"Hey," Michael said, "I forgot to put my water in the fridge last night so it's warm. Do you think you could…?"  
He held out his bottle of water. Kayla smiled. She held her hand out towards the bottle and closed her eyes. A freezing mist came out of her hand and chilled the bottle. She brought her hand away before it froze it.  
"Awesome," Michael said, "Thanks."  
"You probably left your bottle out on purpose," Kayla said, "Just so you can see me do that."  
"Hey, can't help it if you're way past cool," Michael replied.  
Kayla laughed, "I guess you could put it that way. My parents are sort of freaked about it though, but our PR person says it could be good for business if a member of the great Monotoli family shares the same gift as the legends."  
"It's still so cool to think that your grandfather actually met them," Michael raved.  
"He kidnapped that girl Paula is what he did," Kayla said with a laugh.  
"Even better!" Michael exclaimed.  
"He would have been forced out of the city if he didn't donate all that money," Kayla commented.  
"You don't think he had done any of that stuff on purpose, do you?"Michael asked.  
"No," Kayla said, "He had little choice in the matter from what I've heard." She lowered her voice, "There's not much I can say, but to keep it simple there was some other force at work in Fourside at the time and it pretty much forced my grandfather into complying with its wishes."  
"Wicked," Michael said, "I wonder what it would have been like to live through those times."  
"I'd rather take the way things are nowadays," Kayla said, "I don't think I would have really enjoyed it much."  
Michael suddenly stopped. "What is that?" he asked and pointed to two cloaked figures hurrying down the opposite street.  
"Drug dealers probably," Kayla commented.  
"No," Michael said, "I saw something… different."  
He began to follow them.  
"Michael!" Kayla hissed, "We need to get to school."  
"School can wait," he answered, "I want to see what they're up to."  
He took off after the two figures and Kayla reluctantly followed. They tracked them for ten blocks until the figures came to a halt and rushed into an old building.  
"That's the old Jackie's Café," Michael said, "But that place has been shut down for years. I wonder what they're doing in there?"  
"They probably are drug dealers," Kayla said, "And what better place to use to do their business?"  
Michael walked up to the window.  
"Michael!" Kayla hissed.  
Michael peered inside. "Weird," he said.  
"What is it?" Kayla asked.  
"There's nobody inside," Michael said.  
"How could that be?" Kayla wondered aloud.  
"I don't know," Michael said.  
He went to the door and opened it. Kayla walked up beside him and looked in. Just like Michael said, the place was abandoned. They slowly walked in and looked around. The tables and chairs were covered with dust. Cobwebs were in the corners of the walls. Michael walked over to the bar and looked around.  
"How could they just vanish like that?" he wondered,  
"There's only one way out."  
"Who knows," Kayla said, disgusted, "But let's just go. We're going to be late for school."  
"INTRUDERS!" a shrill voice shrieked.  
Kayla and Michael spun around and looked. A large, green monster with multiple legs and two long tentacles stood before them, hissing. Kayla let out a scream.  
"Fools!" came another voice.  
A man appeared and rushed towards Kayla.  
"Don't you touch her!" Michael yelled.  
He grabbed a chair and swung with all his might. It broke against the man's arm and he fell back. The green monster jumped back in surprise.  
The man quickly stood back up.  
"That wasn't very nice," he said.  
He advanced towards Michael and raised a menacing hand.  
"PSI Freeze Alpha!" Kayla shouted  
. A burst of freezing mist shot towards the man. He gasped in surprise and jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the blast. The mist hit a bar stool and froze it upon impact.  
"How interesting," he commented, "You know the art of PSI."  
Kayla took a nervous step backwards. The man took a step towards her.  
"Well, you know what they say. Fight fire with fire."  
He raised his hand. Michael leapt at him.  
"Wait your turn!" the man yelled.  
He caught Michael in mid-air and hurled him across the room. Michael hit the wall. He cried out in pain and fell to the floor.  
"Michael!" Kayla gasped.  
She ran towards him.  
"Shield Gamma!" the man yelled.  
Kayla hit something in the air and fell backwards.  
"I think you need to only worry about yourself," he said.  
"We're wasting time, Georg," the green monster said.  
"Oh, have a little patience, Elder Mook," Georg replied, "It's been years since I encountered a PSI wielder."  
"No…" came a deep, hollow voice, "This ends now…"  
Georg spun around. Kayla looked towards the wall and gasped when it suddenly opened up. A tall, golden statue floated into the room. Kayla's heart raced as she slowly stood up.  
"You're not supposed to let any human see you!" Georg snapped.  
"I felt the PSI power," the statue replied, "I had to see… and now I do. She's no threat at all."  
"But you still should not be seen!" Georg insisted.  
"Do not worry about that," the statue said, "It will soon be rectified."  
With that, it began to glow immensely until an intense bright light radiated from it. Kayla screamed as the force of the light threw her backwards and out the door. She sailed across the street and hit the ground hard.  
"Bring the boy," she heard Georg say before she lost consciousness. 


	3. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Whoa, check it out," Chase murmured in awe.  
Brian looked up towards the mountain and could see what Chase saw.  
"Flying… men?" A kid said in confusion.  
"This is really bizarre," Chase said.  
"I got a bad feeling about this," Brian said.  
"Yeah," Chase agreed.  
Just then, one of the flying men looked down and saw the group of kids.  
"He sees us!" A kid yelled, "Run!"  
But before anyone could move, the flying man zoomed down to the ground in front of them. Everyone stood frozen to their spots.  
"All class C specimens," he said, looking around at them.  
"What was that?" Chase asked.  
The man's dark eyes rested on Brian and fixated on him. He pointed a long finger at Brian.  
"You're different," the man said, "Class A! The master said we wouldn't find such beings in this establishment."   
Everyone looked at Brian.  
"What does he mean you're different?" one kid asked.  
"What's different about Brian?" another kid asked.  
Brian looked down, wishing he could disappear.  
"Brian, look out!" Chase cried.  
Brian looked up, and to his horror, a beam had shot out of the man's long finger and was heading straight for him. In a panic, Brian threw up his hands.  
"Shield Alpha!" he gasped. Nobody could see anything but when the beam hit him, it deflected off and dissipated. The force still knocked Brian off his feet though.  
"Dude, what was that!" a kid gasped.  
"That wasn't natural!" another one yelled.  
"PSI…" a third kid said lowly.  
"PSI!" the first kid gasped. The third kid came over to Brian and held out his hand.  
"I'm Trevor," he said.  
Brian grabbed his hand and pulled himself up.  
"Brian," Brian said.  
"That's really amazing," Trevor complimented.  
"Um, thanks," Brian said.  
"Watch it!" Chase yelled. The man suddenly leapt at Brian and Trevor.  
"Stand back!" Trevor ordered.  
He held up his hand towards the leaping man.  
"PSI Repel Beta!"  
Suddenly, a force caught the man and he sailed twenty feet backwards.  
"Whoa!" a few kids gasped.  
"You have PSI too?" Brian asked.  
"To a point," Trevor answered, "My powers were actually given to me from someone else. It's a long story, but in a nutshell, I am here mainly on a mission to find he who possesses the gift."  
"You mean me?" Brian asked.  
Trevor nodded. "You sure kept yourself well hidden."  
"I really didn't want it to be public," Brian mumbled.  
"I would think everyone would only appreciate your talent," Trevor said, "Especially now. I say we have some work to do here."  
The man had gotten back up.  
"Foolish species!" he yelled, "Termination is inevitable!"  
He ran at them.  
"Now, Brian!" Trevor commanded. Brian tightened his stance. He held his hands out towards the man.  
"PSI Fire Alpha!" he cried.  
A small ball of fire shot towards the man. He held out his hand. The fire ball hit it and exploded outwards. When the flames cleared, only a small singe was left on the man's hand.  
"Impossible," Chase gasped.  
"Great," Trevor said nervously, "I don't have anything stronger than my Repel Beta."  
Brian took a deep breath.  
"I do," he said, "But you all should stand back!"  
Everyone got away from Brian.  
"You, human, shall die now," the man said menacingly.  
He started after Brian.  
"PSI Fire Beta!" Brian hollored.  
A giant pillar of fire radiated from Brian's hand.  
"What's this?" the man gasped.  
The fire hit him. He let out a howl of pain as the fire consumed him. When it dissipated, nothing was left but burnt ash.  
"Woo hoo!" Chase yelled out.  
"That was awesome!" another kid exclaimed.  
"Way to go, Brian!"  
Brian smiled.  
"It's not so bad letting some people in on it after all, huh?" Trevor asked.  
Brian shrugged, "I guess not."  
"Oh ho ho!" came a loud voice, "Aren't we the little hero?"  
Everyone looked up to see another man floating down to them. He was a bit larger than the last one, and the first thing they noticed was his right arm. It was made completely of metal. "Who are these freaks?" Chase whispered in Brian's ear.  
Brian slowly shook his head.  
"So, we have a couple PSI users in this pathetic town after all," the man said, "How amusing."  
Brian gritted his teeth. "What do you want?" he asked.  
"Well, that's simple," the man replied, "I want you to die."  
Everyone took a step back.  
"Don't get scared too easily boys," the man taunted, "I haven't even given you a good enough reason yet."  
Just then, twenty other men landed behind the large man. They all looked the same. They had medium length black hair and dark eyes. They could also noticed metal strips running up their hands and arms.  
"Meet my friends," the larger man said.  
"Commander Porkle," one of the other men said, "We have scouted the surrounding area. Nobody is in a position to oppose us, and those who tried have been properly terminated."  
The kids gasped.  
"Monsters," Chase murmured.  
Brian clenched his fists. "How dare you…" he growled.  
He raised his hands.  
"Hmm?" Porkle hummed.  
"PSI Fire Beta!" Brian yelled. A pillar of fire raced towards the group of men and struck. It spread out and covered the whole ground that they stood on.  
"Right on!" some kids yelled.   
"Wait!" Trevor gasped.  
The smoke slowly cleared away, and everyone saw that nobody was standing there.  
"Awesome!" Chase yelled, "You took all of them out!"  
"No, I didn't," Brian said.  
"What are you talking about?" Chase asked.  
"Look," Brian said, "There isn't any burn marks from ashes on the ground. They were never even hit by it. They used the confusion to escape."  
"But where did they go?" Chase asked.  
"I don't know…" Brian admitted, "But I'm going to find out. And when I do, I'm going after them."

Porkle came to a stop near the trees at the edge of Pikor.  
"Come, legion of cyborgs!" he called, "The master has left us with our orders. We make for the realm of Eagleland, and let's be quick about it!"  
The twenty cyborgs and Porkle took off into the air and flew off to the east.

In the far west regions of the world a small village named Berk stood firmly within the forests. It was a village unlike any other. It's devotion was to special training. On the surface, they were a military organization but they trained themselves to be so much more. The town was founded shortly after Giygas' defeat as a means to prepare humans for possible future attacks.   
Among the best of the men their training was actually not a man yet, but still a boy.  
Seventeen year old Robert Montague. He possessed keen senses for such a younger person and his strength and agility rivaled that of men ten years older than him. He also had a natural ability with handling weapons of various kinds, from swords and spears to handguns and bazookas. He was Berk's finest soldier and had a good outlook in front of him.   
As Robert walked through the civilian part of the village he couldn't help but smile as the children playing in the streets. Robert never had a typical childhood. He lived most of his first years on the move with his parents, Maria and George Montague, and his grandfather, Gerald Montague. They loved searching for treasures and their travels took them to all the ends of the globe. It was probably this rugged childhood that toughened Robert up so much. He was a mere boy of ten when he would go off into the wild and fight with wild animals for fun. After his grandfather's death, his parents decided to settle down in Fourside, but Robert always craved some form of an adventure. Hearing of the newly formed Berk, his father decided Robert may be best suited for the military training in the faraway village. His mother protested the idea but Robert begged for the chance to go and learn to be a defender of the world. Finally, his mother caved and he was sent to Berk at the age of thirteen and has been training ever since, constantly enhancing all of his skills.  
Robert continued through the small roads of the village and went into a convenience store.  
"Hey, Robert!" a girl behind the counter greeted.  
"Hey, Sarah," Robert said.  
Robert and Sarah had more or less been going out for a year and a half. Robert technically wasn't allowed to date while in training so they kept their relationship very low key.  
"So, are you able to get any free time later tonight?" Sarah asked.  
"Afraid not," Robert answered.  
"Geez, how much do they have to train you guys anyway?" Sarah complained, "Especially you. You're like, the strongest guy here. I wouldn't be surprised if you're the strongest guy on the whole planet by now."  
Robert grinned a bit and tried not to blush. "I don't know if I would go that far," he said.  
"And you're modesty is by far your best quality," Sarah went on.  
Robert smiled. Sarah leaned in and gave him a small kiss. Robert couldn't help but to look around and check that nobody noticed.  
"So do you ever miss home?" Sarah asked.  
"Home?" Robert asked.  
He had to think for a moment to really remember it.  
"I don't know," he admitted, "I guess I just don't think about it that much."  
"Men," Sarah rebuked, "Can't ever get a little sentimental, can you?"  
Robert shrugged. Suddenly, they heard a scream from outside.  
"What was that?" Sarah gasped.  
Robert looked out the window. A flash appeared outside and for a moment, they could see a figure. It was tall and wore black pants and a red shirt. A strange black insignia was on his shirt. He had long brown hair and wore a strange device over his eyes that was thin and glowed red. Robert could see that he was very strong.  
"Oh my God…" Robert gasped.  
In an instant, the figure rushed away. Robert ran out after it.  
"Robert!" Sarah called.  
Robert grabbed his radio and hit a button on it.  
"This is Montague!" he yelled into his radio, "I need immediate backup in the Sector Q-9499 area. Hostile intruder on the loose. Send the best ones. This guy looked like he meant serious business."  
The figure hurried down the road with people screaming as it ran past. Robert ran with all his might and slowly closed the gap between them. Suddenly, the figure stopped and spun around. Robert quickly stopped.  
"So, you're pretty fast," the person commented, "I guess we should stop with this silly chase game then."  
"Just do us both a favor and stop whatever it is you are doing," Robert said.  
"Afraid I cannot do that," the person said and he raised his hand straight up towards the sky.  
"What are you doing?" Robert demanded.  
The man smiled and closed his eyes.  
"Quake Pforce…"

"Kayla?"  
"Kayla, can you hear us?"  
"Please wake up. Kayla!"  
Slowly, Kayla opened her eyes.  
"Mom? Dad?" she mumbled.  
"Oh, thank heavens you're awake!" her mom gasped.   
Suddenly, Kayla sat straight up.  
"Michael!" she gasped, "Where is Michael?"  
"Michael?" her father asked, "We never saw Michael. The police only found you unconscious on the side of the road by the old café. What were you doing in that part of town anyway? It's not entirely safe."  
"He was kidnapped!" Kayla realized, "They took him!"  
"Who took whom?" Kayla's mom asked.  
"These guys," Kayla said frantically, "They looked weird. They had… powers. And a statue."  
"Okay," Kayla's dad said, "I think you hit your head too hard. You obviously have been having a nightmare while you were out."  
"No, it was not a nightmare," Kayla insisted, "They took him. We have to find him and save him!"  
"Kayla, please, you just need to get some rest," her mother reasoned, "After a good sleep you'll feel better."  
"No!" Kayla snapped.  
She leapt out of her bed and ran down the hall.  
"Kayla!" her father yelled, "Get back here this instant!"  
Kayla continued to run and tore out of the hospital. She knew she didn't have a moment to waste. She had to figure out where Michael was taken and rescue him, and she knew just how to start too. She ran for the bus stop and caught a bus.  
"How much to get to Threed?" she asked.

Inside a dark cave Supreme Starman paced the floor.  
"A little patience please," Georg said from the corner, "We have to wait for Shendi to make his move."  
"Well, I wish he would hurry it up," Supreme Starman complained.  
Suddenly, they both received a strong vibe and they looked up.  
"There," Georg said, "He's begun, and now so can we. You know what to do."  
"Yes," Supreme Starman said with delight, "I've been waiting twenty years for the chance to do this."  
Georg handed Supreme Starman a device.  
"Remember," Georg said, "This mission is not to kill. Use this device on him and he will be wounded on a level that no healing powers can mend. It should properly incapacitate him enough so that phase two can be carried out."  
"And what of the boy?" Supreme Starman asked.  
Georg grinned and said, "Leave the boy to me. I know you would find great pleasure from it, but trust me, I would find an even deeper and more gratifying pleasure from making Ness and Paula look on helplessly as I kill their son." 


	4. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Tucked behind the dense woods of Winters rested an old laboratory. Though covered with some moss and rust, sounds of computers and instruments could still be heard inside.   
"Raise the molecular flux to 100 atoms per second, Apple Man," Jeff Andonuts commanded.  
Apple Man adjusted the dials on the complex machine. Jeff continued to stare intently on a small piece of metal inside a container. Slowly, he could see the metal expand, and then it stopped.  
"Excellent!" he beamed.  
"It worked!" Apple Man gasped.  
"Not completely," Jeff said, "But this is the first positive sign we've seen in months."  
"If we can make this invention work, the whole industry of building things will be revolutionized," Apple Man declared, "Imagine being able to take any inanimate object and making its molecular structure expand. Creating metal, rock, or any element. It will be a gold mine."  
"I never really was interested in making money," Jeff said.  
"It's still a nice side effect," Apple Man said with a smile.  
Jeff grinned. A ringing sound came from a pile of junk.  
"Oh, we let the phone get buried again," Apple Man noticed.  
Jeff dug through the various pieces of machinery until he finally found the receiver on the tenth ring.  
"Hello?" he said.  
"Took you long enough, Jeff," Ness replied.  
"Ness!" Jeff greeted, "How has it been, old friend?"  
"It's been good," Ness said, "It sure has been awhile since we've seen each other."  
"Yeah," Jeff agreed, "It's been… well, to tell you the truth, I guess I've sort of lost track of the years up here."  
"You're too smart for your own good sometimes, Jeff," Ness said with a laugh, "It's been three years. We haven't seen you since you came up with that new theory of yours about the phase distorter."  
"Which was proven right may I say," Jeff said.  
"Really?" Ness said, "So that means…"  
"The Phase Distorter 4," Jeff announced, "No more turning into robots before getting in. We're hoping to get a patent to get them mass produced and placed in cities around the world."  
"That's cool," Ness said.  
"Ness," Jeff said, "I know I can be pretty dense with the simplest things, but I can still tell when you aren't yourself. You sound worried."  
"I can't hide anything from you," Ness said, "It's Paula. She's had some sort of a bad dream or something."  
"Uh oh," Jeff said.  
"I know," Ness replied, "We're not exactly sure what it means, but a little while ago Paula sensed a sudden outburst of PSI power coming from Fourside. I was going to teleport there and find out what it was, but Paula had a feeling that I need to stay here in Onett."  
"I see," Jeff said.  
"Look, the bottom line is I want to get everyone gathered together," Ness went on, "I'm not sure what's up, but if something is going on, we all need to regroup and prepare."  
"I agree," Jeff said, "Have you called Poo?"  
"I did," Ness said, "But they said he was off training his student and they couldn't disturb them."  
"Well, I suppose if something is up Poo will sense it anyway and come," Jeff said.  
"You're probably right," Ness said, "So will you be able to get over here?"  
"Sure," Jeff said, "I just need to finalize this experiment we got running and record the data and I'll head right over."  
"Thanks, Jeff," Ness said, "See you soon."  
"Bye," Jeff said and hung up his phone.  
"I overheard," Apple Man said, "Do you think something like Giygas could be back?"  
"I don't know," Jeff said, "But I don't think we need to unnecessarily concern ourselves with that idea just yet. All they know is someone was using PSI power in Fourside. That could mean anything. I'm sure there are more PSI users out there besides Ness, Paula, and Poo."  
"Sure," Apple Man agreed.  
"Let's just finalize this test," Jeff said, "I want to get over there as soon as…"  
Suddenly, a machine in the corner started beeping loudly.  
"What's that?" Apple Man said.  
Jeff went over to it.  
"That's weird," he said, "It's picking up a heavy surge of seismatic activity."  
"Where is it coming from?" Apple Man asked.  
Jeff turned to him. "A distant village. Berk."

"What are you doing?" Robert demanded after the strange man uttered the words "Quake Pforce."  
Suddenly, he heard a distant rumble like thunder, but it quickly became louder. Suddenly, the ground around him shook violently. Nearby people screamed as objects fell from shelves or rooves caved in.  
"Stop it!" Robert yelled.  
He struggled to maintain his balance and ran towards the man. He continued to smile and didn't move. Robert lunged forward with his fist and struck the man in the cheek.  
He jerked backwards and fell down. The rumbling stopped. The man brought his hand to his cheek and rubbed it. He looked back at Robert with a look of surprise.  
"No mere human has been able to ever hurt me before," he said, "I commend you."  
"Yeah, well, you can thank me by getting out of here," Robert said, "Before I show you what it's like when I actually hit you hard."  
"Ohhh," the man mused, "So now you're threatening me."  
"However you like it," Robert said.  
The man stood up.  
"I am Shendi," he said, "And I am honored to meet a worthy foe such as yourself."  
"Montague!" a voice yelled.  
"Burns," Robert greeted.  
Burns and about twenty other soldiers came running up and lined up behind Robert.  
"So, you intend to gang up on me to get me to leave you alone?" Shendi said, "Well, that's really not fair is it? I'm just one person. Where's the honor in that?"  
"I'll show you where you can put your honor!" Burns yelled.  
"Wait," Robert said, "Let me fight him."  
"What?" Burns said, "Now, look Montague, I know you would like to be the great hero and all, but really now…"  
"It's not about that," Robert said, "There's something different about him, and I want to see how I would do against a person like him."  
"Suit yourself," Burns said.  
"Now that's much better," Shendi said, "And don't worry, I'll refrain from using any more of my special tricks. I recognize the challenge before me and I'm excited to see where it will lead."  
Robert slowly moved his feet to get in a better stance.  
"Ready?" Shendi said, and with that he leapt at Robert and swung his fist.  
Robert quickly brought his arm up to block. Shendi's fist hit Robert's forearm and the force of the blow caused a few of the other soldiers to stumble backwards, but Robert held his stance firm.  
He quickly brought his fist up and punched.  
Shendi brought his hand up and caught Robert's fist.  
Robert punched with his other hand and Shendi caught that fist too. Robert unclenched his fists and his fingers intertwined with Shendi's as both of them tried to push on each other.  
Robert slid his left leg back to provide more strength in pushing forward. Shendi gritted his teeth as his back foot dug into the ground as he tried to push forward. Robert yelled with frustration and pushed even harder.  
Shendi stumbled backwards a bit, but managed to bring his foot up to kick. Robert quickly leaned back and avoided the kick and then he swung his fist hard. He connected with Shendi's cheek and Shendi flew back about ten feet.  
"Good show!" Burns complimented.  
Shendi quickly got back up to his feet. He extended his arms outward and twin swords shot out from his sleeves.  
"Spear!" Burns called.  
Robert turned around and caught the spear Burns tossed to him.   
"Hahhhhhh!" Shendi yelled as he ran towards Robert. Robert raised his spear and the two went at it.  
Shendi quickly spun through the air while swiping with his swords as Robert struggled to block his attacks. Shendi leaped over Robert and swung the sword backwards at him. Robert leapt backwards. The sword caught the fabric of his shirt and created a slit across his chest. Shendi landed and came at Robert again. Finally, Robert saw Shendi pause and he quickly struck.  
He knocked one of Shendi's swords away, then reversed his swing and caught the other sword. Shendi gasped in surprise, giving Robert another second to strike Shendi with the blunt end of his spear and knock him back. Robert then gripped the spear and heaved it towards Shendi.  
Shendi stood up and his eyes widened at seeing the spear coming at him. He moved backwards and ducked down to avoid, but the spear caught his shoulder and cut him.  
Shendi cried out in shock. He slowly stood up and looked at his shoulder.  
"My blood…" he murmured in fascination.   
He looked back at Robert and gasped to see him right in front of him with his foot sailing towards his head.  
Robert's kick struck Shendi on the device on his head. Shendi flew backwards and the device flew off and landed on the ground, broken.  
Shendi slowly stood up again and looked at Robert. Robert gasped. Shendi's eyes were of a menacing yellow color and a scar went across his left eye.  
"Fool," Shendi cursed, "How dare you presume that you can defeat me with your fancy footwork."  
"Well, it seems like it's working so far," Robert said, and with that, he lunged at Shendi and swung his fist.  
His punch connected with empty air.  
"What?" Robert gasped.  
"Looking for me?" Shendi asked.  
Robert spun around to see Shendi standing behind him. "But how were you able…" Robert murmured.  
"Did you actually think you were going to win?" Shendi asked, "How ignorant of you, but I still must give you credit. It seems that I have to use my powers on you after all."  
"What…" Robert said lowly.  
Shendi quickly extended his hand and touched Robert's head. Robert let out a horrifying shriek. He felt like his head was exploding over and over again.  
"Robert!" Burns cried.  
Everyone rushed at Shendi. Shendi extended his other hand towards them.  
"Entrapment Pforce," he hissed.  
Suddenly, all the soldiers could no longer run towards him.  
"What is this!" Burns gasped.  
Shendi smiled in return. He took his hand off of Robert's head and Robert fell to his knees, gasping for air. Shendi grabbed Robert's hair and raised his head. Blood was dripping from Robert's nose.  
"Know this," Shendi said, "Never again think that you could be a match for me, because if you do, you can be sure that I will kill you."  
Robert clenched his fist and began to punch, but Shendi quickly punched him instead. Robert's face burrowed into the dirt as he slid across the ground.  
"Noooo!" came a cry from a distance.  
Sarah ran towards Robert.  
"Robert!" she cried.   
Before she could reach him though, Shendi appeared between them. She screamed in surprise.   
"I'm sorry, miss," Shendi said, "But Robert here has an appointment with someone that he cannot afford to miss."  
Shendi picked up Robert and then began to ascend into the air. "I wasn't expecting to find anyone to bring back," Shendi admitted, "But the master will be pleased nonetheless. Now that I have this special bonus it's time for me to finish what I started."  
He stopped in the air and turned back towards Berk.   
"You cannot be allowed to pose a threat against our plans," he said.  
As he held his hand out, the ground again shook violently. Everyone ran for cover. The ground opened up beneath the building and began to swallow them up.  
As Shendi flew away laughing with Robert in his tow, all of Berk collapsed into the earth and was buried.

Brian pushed through the dense brush as he followed Trevor through the forest. As he walked, he thought back on his last talk with his mom.  
She was, as any mom would be, against him leaving with Trevor to go after the weird cyborgs that attacked Pikor, but ultimately she recognized the special gift that Brian has and accepted that he has to go and protect whoever else the cyborgs may try to hurt. Chase had insisted on going with him but Brian told him to stay and keep an eye on his mom.  
After packing his backpack with some fruit and money and grabbing his baseball bat for added protection he set off with Trevor.  
"So where are we heading anyway?" Brian asked Trevor, breaking the silence.  
"To a nearby town called Popo. It's a port town bordering the sea. Hopefully we'll find someone willing to take us to Eagleland."  
"How can you be sure that's where the cyborgs are heading?" Brian asked.  
"It's my best guess," Trevor said, "I had a strange feeling a little while ago while you were fighting the cyborgs. I believe a heavy surge of PSI power was being unleashed somewhere in Eagleland. The cyborgs may have sensed the same thing and so their first goal would be to eliminate whoever is using such power before going on to whatever else they may have planned."  
"This is all just so bizarre," Brian said, "This morning everything was perfectly normal, and now look at us. Wandering off into the forest chasing some cyborgs with nothing more than a hunch."  
"It's the best we can do," Trevor said.  
"You still haven't fully explained why you were looking for people like me," Brian said, "Who sent you?"  
"I'm afraid I am not at liberty to say," Trevor said, "What I can tell you is danger is on its way. I suspect these cyborgs are a good enough sign for that."  
"But why me?" Brian insisted, "If these cyborgs are heading out there to do harm, why not just seek out those four heroes from twenty years ago?"  
"I am only doing what I was instructed to do," Trevor said simply.  
"Well, it still doesn't make sense," Brian answered with disgust.  
They remained silent after that and continued to walk through the woods towards Popo.  
"We should be arriving shortly," Trevor said.  
Brian looked up at the trees. His eye caught some rapid movement.  
"Trevor, look out!" he gasped as something dropped down from the tree and went straight for Trevor.  
Trevor jumped out of the way and the object hit the ground. It quickly spun around and landed on its feet.  
"A… squirrel?" Brian said in bewilderment.  
Without warning, the squirrel leapt at Brian and bit him on the arm.  
"Ow!" Brian gasped.  
He shook his arm furiously until the squirrel fell off. That didn't phase the squirrel though, as it quickly spun around and attacked again.  
"Knock it out!" Trevor yelled.  
"A squirrel?" Brian said again.  
"Yes!" Trevor snapped, "Now!"  
Brian quickly took out his bat and swung.  
His aim was true and the squirrel went flying and crashed into a tree. It fell to the ground unconscious.  
"Okay, what was that?" Brian asked.  
When he looked at Trevor, he was surprised to see Trevor in shock.  
"What's wrong?" Brian asked.  
"This is bad," Trevor said.  
"Rabid squirrels are bad?" Brian asked.  
"Not rabid," Trevor said, "Just driven insane. Driven insane by evil. Oh dear…"  
Brian still didn't understand.  
"What evil!" he demanded.  
"No more delays," Trevor said firmly, "We have to get to Eagleland as soon as possible. Whether or not the cyborgs have gone there, it has to be our immediate destination."

"So Jeff will be on his way soon?" Paula asked Ness.  
"Yes," Ness replied, "He just has to finish up one of his experiments and then he'll head over."  
"I wish we were able to get a hold of Poo," Paula lamented.  
"I know," Ness said, "But I trust he will come when he is needed."  
Paula nodded.  
They went downstairs where Christian was playing video games.  
"Such a good boy," Paula said, "We can't let anything happen to him."  
"We won't," Ness assured her.  
He gripped her hand and squeezed it.  
"I'd die before any harm came to our son."   
Just then, the light outside went very dark.  
"What's going on?" Christian asked.  
"I'm not sure," Ness said, "Paula, take Christian to his room now. I'm going to go see what's going on."  
"Right," Paula said, "Come on, son," she said and guided Christian up the stairs.  
"But I want to see it too!" he protested.  
Ness quickly stepped outside.  
"Greetings, Ness the legend."  
Ness stepped off his porch and looked at the intruder.  
"A Starman," he said coldly.  
"You will address me as Supreme Starman," Supreme Starman said, "And you would do well to remember that name, for it is that name which will bring you down."  
"You think so," Ness said, "When even your fool of a leader Giygas was no match for me?"  
"Giygas was not my leader," Supreme Starman stated, "I am far above his level."  
"Guess we'll find out then, won't we?" Ness said.  
He cleared his mind and began to focus his power.  
"Let's dance." 


	5. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Trevor moved quickly through the woods towards Popo with Brian struggling to keep up. Trevor hadn't said a word since he told Brian they had to move quickly. Brian was still confused about what Trevor was getting so upset about.  
He tried to reason it out in his head why a crazy squirrel would cause Trevor to behave so on edge. He began to wonder if the four legendary heroes were like this in any way. It was just then that it hit him.  
"Trevor!" Brian called out, "Didn't the four legendary heroes fight wild animals at times?"  
"Yes," Trevor said shortly, "I see you are realizing the severity of our situation."  
"So what does it mean if there are animals attacking people again just like twenty years ago?" Brian asked.  
"I can only speculate," Trevor answered, "And I pray that I am wrong."  
"Are you saying we could be under another invasion?" Brian gasped.  
"There!" Trevor said, "Popo. Dead ahead."  
Brian ran up alongside Trevor and looked past the edge of the forest. A small town rested along the shores. He could see sailors moving about and many street vendors selling goods.  
"Hopefully, the sailor who had brought me to Raptorland is here again and willing to offer us safe passage," Trevor explained.  
They entered the town and made their way down to the docks.  
"Bert!" Trevor called out as he ran towards a young sailor with a thick beard.  
"Ahh, Trevor!" Bert greeted, "So nice to see you again."  
"Likewise," Trevor said, "Listen, I'm afraid I don't have a lot of time to chit chat. We need to get back to Eagleland as soon as possible."  
"I see," Bert said, "Well, I was actually going to head over with a load of goods tomorrow, but I can see that this is something you need and since I do owe you one, I suppose I can leave a day early."  
"We'd be in your debt," Trevor said.  
"Meet me back here in a half hour," Bert said, "I'll be ready to leave by then."  
"Thank you," Trevor said.  
They left Bert and Trevor led Brian into a local restaurant.  
"Why did Bert owe you one?" Brian asked.  
"He was being threatened by robbers back in Eagleland," Trevor explained, "They had pulled a gun on him and were going to shoot if I hadn't stepped in and helped out."  
"With that PSI Repel I bet," Brian said.  
"It's been known to come in handy on a few occasions," Trevor said with a small grin.  
"Listen," Brian said, "I know I'm giving you a hard time, grilling you for information and all. It's just that this whole thing really blows my mind. I mean, I've heard the stories of what happened twenty years ago, but to see it happening now…"  
"I know," Trevor said, "I have to admit it's taken me by surprise too. I knew there was a disturbance in the world but I thought those cyborgs were the extent of it, but now that we've seen wild animals becoming mad, I'm afraid we have no other choice but to suspect that there's another alien invasion at hand."  
"Do you think the world could survive?" Brian asked.  
"Four young kids stood up to this challenge once," Trevor said, "And they beat the odds. Not only are they all still around, but there are people like you now also living, not to mention people themselves have taken some measures to defend against terrors like this. I'm sure the world will be just fine."  
Brian couldn't help but notice an underlying tone of worry in Trevor's voice. He was sure there was something else going on, but he figured this was as much as he would get from Trevor at the moment.  
They ate a small meal while they waited and then after a half hour, they went back to the docks.  
Bert had his boat out and was preparing it to leave.  
"We're all set here," Bert announced.  
"Thanks a million, Bert," Trevor said, "You have no idea how much this means to us."  
"Glad to help," Bert said, "Let's set off then!"  
Trevor and Brian climbed into the boat and Bert untied it from the pier, turned the motor on and they set off towards Eagleland.  
Lucky for them, the weather was perfect that day. The sun was shining and a strong breeze was blowing, making their trip smoother than they had hoped.  
After a few hours, Trevor suggested he and Brian get some rest since they have been going nonstop for awhile.  
"The cabin down below isn't the best," Bert admitted," But I'm sure you'll be able to find a good spot to catch some z's."  
"Thank you," Brian said.  
He and Trevor went below. Bert definitely was right. The small cabin wasn't that much to look at. In fact, it was fairly messy, but there was a small bed and a couch that looked comfortable enough.  
Trevor took the couch, offering Brian the bed. Brian had barely laid down when he fell fast asleep.  
It seemed like no time had passed at all though when he awoke to Bert's shouts.  
"Get up!" he urged from above, "Something very odd is going on up here!"  
Brian leapt out of bed, put on his shoes, and followed Trevor outside.  
"These clouds rolled in out of nowhere," Bert said, "I swear it was perfectly clear one second, and then the next it's completely overcast. Not natural, I tell you."  
"No, it's not," Trevor said quietly.  
He began to scan the sky above as if looking for something. Brian suddenly felt an icy cold feeling grip his stomach. The feeling drew his eyes out over the water.  
"There's something…" he murmured.  
"What was that?" Bert asked.  
"Something's out there," Brian said.  
"Brian?" Trevor asked skeptically.  
"I don't know how I know," Brian said, "But everything in me is telling me that something is out there in the water and it's coming straight at us."  
Trevor looked out in the direction Brian was staring. Slowly, he could make out a ripple in the water.  
"What is that?" Bert asked, "Looks like some whale or something surfacing."  
Just then, something did emerge from the sea, but it was hardly a whale.  
"Great scott!" Bert gasped and fell backwards.  
Brian's heart had leapt into his throat. He felt himself trembling all over.  
"What is that… thing?" he gasped.  
A long head had emerged from the water. What looked like fins went down its back. It had a long mouth and a long, thin tongue that waved about in the air.  
"It can't be…" Trevor gasped, "I've seen pictures, but… It just can't be."  
"What is it!" Brian gasped again, half angry, half petrified, "Some sort of dragon?"  
"It has a name…" Trevor said in a shaky voice, "Kraken." 

Supreme Starman wasted no time and immediately fired a beam at Ness.  
Ness quickly jumped to the left and narrowly missed the beam.  
Supreme Starman then leapt straight at Ness to strike him. Ness crossed his arms and murmured "PSI Shield Beta."  
Supreme Starman struck Ness but was partially knocked backwards by the shield. Ness stumbled backwards but managed to keep his balance.  
"Very good," Supreme Starman commented.  
"Thanks," Ness replied cooly.  
"I see the legend hasn't let himself soften up any," Supreme Starman commented, "I guess your power is even greater than when you defeated Giygas."  
"Scared?" Ness asked.  
"I'm merely pointing things out," Supreme Starman, "It will do us well to have an accurate record of your abilities before the end."  
"You want to record my abilities?" Ness asked, "How about I just show them to you?"  
Ness widened his stance some and held his hands out. _I can't afford to go all out,_ he thought, _Not while I'm right outside my own home. I only hope this can be enough._  
Ness reached into the depths of his mind and found an old feeling within himself of something young and playful. He felt the surge of it race through his arms and into his fingers.  
"PSI Rockin' Gamma!" He cried.  
Rainbow colored lights rained down on Supreme Starman and spread themselves out around him. They then converged on his spot and exploded. Supreme Starman flew backwards and landed hard on his back.  
Ness straightened up and glanced up at his window. He could see Paula by the shades, watching over him.  
Supreme Starman got to his feet. Ness could see a grin on his face.  
"Impressive," Supreme Starman said, "Now shall I show you my abilities?"  
Supreme Starman threw his hands over his head and shouted "PSI Starstorm Omega!"  
Ness quickly ran further away from his house as a shower of stars struck the ground around him, causing multiple explosions of light.  
Ness dove forward and rolled on the ground. The force of the attack pushed him further and into a tree. He let out of gasp of air when he hit.  
"Had enough?" Supreme Starman taunted.  
Ness stood up and brushed himself off.  
"I think I'm good for a few more rounds," he stated.  
Supreme Starman answered by racing towards Ness again.  
Ness quickly held his hands out and yelled, "PSI Flash Omega!"  
An immensely bright light blanketed the area. Ness shut his eyes tight as Supreme Starman yelled in surprise. He stumbled backwards and covered his eyes, cursing under his breath.  
Ness quickly darted around Supreme Starman, grabbed his bat, and swung with all his might.  
His bat connected with the back of Supreme Starman's head.  
Supreme Starman stumbled forward as he struggled to regain his vision.  
Ness held out a hand and said, "PSI Paralysis Gamma."  
A ripple of energy shot towards Supreme Starman. He started to jump out of the way but the energy caught his legs. They instantly stiffened up and he fell to the ground.  
"Got yourself stuck there?" Ness asked.  
Supreme Starman struggled to stand but his legs refused to respond.  
Ness walked over and stood over Supreme Starman. He held out his hand.  
"I think a Rockin' Gamma at this range should be enough to finish you off," he said.  
He began to focus his mind and felt the familiar energy well up inside him.  
Suddenly, Supreme Starman twisted around to look up at Ness. His visor began to glow a menacing red light.  
An unseen force took Ness by surprise and threw him back about fifteen feet. He landed with a thud and rolled over.  
Paula let go of the drapes, shouted for Christian to sit still, and began to race downstairs.  
"Time to do what I came for," Supreme Starman said through gritted teeth.  
He pointed a finger at Ness as Ness slowly got to his feet. His visor glowed an even brighter red as his whole arm began to tremble.  
"Infector Beam," Supreme Starman gasped.  
A red beam shot out of his finger and sped through the air so fast that Ness never saw it until it struck him near his right shoulder and pierced right through him.  
"Oh," he gasped and fell to the ground.  
"NESS!" Paula cried as she burst from their house and ran to him.  
"Too late!" Supreme Starman yelled in triumph, "See you later!"  
He vanished in a flash of light. "Ness," Paula said urgently.  
Ness winced and looked at Paula. "Guess he got the better of me," he gasped.  
"Something's not right about him, Ness," Paula said, "Even for a Starman, the energy I felt from him seemed very unnatural."  
"Well, we'll get him back once all of us are here," Ness promised.  
Paula helped him sit up. Ness closed his eyes and placed his hand over his wound.  
"Lifeup Beta," he said.  
A refreshing aura filled his skin and slowly faded away.  
"Ouch!" Ness gasped.  
The wound hadn't healed at all. Paula gasped. Blood began to run faster through the wound.  
"That's weird," Ness said, his tone changing to a slight panic. He closed his eyes again.  
"Healing Beta."  
A soothing sensation overcame him but after it passed, the pain of his injury returned even moreso.  
"Healing Omega!" he gasped in desparation.  
He felt as though he was being born again as an immense sensation of peace filled him up, but as it died away he felt as though his shoulder was being ripped apart.  
"Ahh!" he cried out in pain and fell over.  
"Ness!" Paula gasped.  
"Something's wrong," Ness gasped, "I can't... heal it."  
"No..." Paula moaned, "I'll get something to put on it. Don't move!"  
She ran into the house, and Ness lay still on the ground feeling hurt, alone, and helpless for the first time in a long time. 

The sun had never shone brighter over the small town of Threed. Stories of darkness, evil, and zombies were now only stories.  
The circus was once again in town and children of all ages were running around enjoying the various attractions. In one corner, a girl stood with a small group of younger kids holding a glass.  
"Now it takes awhile for it to fully come to you," she explained, "but if you focus hard enough on it happening, then it will happen."  
She held out the glass in her hand.  
"PSI Levitation Alpha," she said.  
The glass rose off of her palm and floated in the air.  
"Ooooh," the kids commented.  
"Now you try it," the girl said.  
The kids held out their glasses and said, "PSI Leviation Alpha."  
Most of the glasses stayed put but some did wiggle around and rose a tad before falling back down.  
"Cool!" some kids said while others grew frustrated and stomped their feet.  
"Now don't get too worked up," the girl advised, "Like I said, all it takes is a little work."  
"I'd rather turn things to ice!" one boy yelled.  
"I'm sure that's more exciting," the girl replied, "but this technique can be just as satisfying over time. When you master it enough, you can even use it on yourself and fly."  
"That would be pretty cool," the boy answered.  
"Okay, everyone," the girl said, "That's enough for today. I hope you all manage to get the hang of levitating things before long."  
"Thanks!" the kids yelled and ran off in various directions. Two kids, a boy and a girl, stayed behind and walked up to the girl.  
"Did you see us, Angela!" they said excitedly, "We got our glasses to float a little!"  
"Well, I would hope that my little brother and sister would be capable of doing it," Angela answered with a smile.  
Angela Barker had lived in Threed for all of her 16 years with her parents and her two younger siblings, 11 year old Simon and 9 year old Mary. Neither of her parents had the gift of PSI but she, Simon, and Mary all posessed it. Simon and Mary could only do simple things at this point like turning a small amount of water to ice or burning a twig.  
Angela had developed her powers to an amazing level. She always loved having her gift and has always worked at improving it. As she had hinted to her small class, she was able to levitate herself and fly through the air. It had become second nature to her and she was now able to fly great distances with using only a small amount of PSI energy.  
Angela walked home with Simon and Mary arguing about whose glass floated higher and got lost in thought. She often wondered what all there was in the world and wished alot of the time that she could leave and travel the world.  
When they arrived home, Simon and Mary raced to their room to try and levitate their toys and Angela went to her room and sat on her bed.  
She picked up a book from the floor and flipped through it. It was an account of the adventures that Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo went on. Angela idolized them and always dreamt about becoming as big a hero as they were.  
The doorbell rang and Angela heard her mother yell if she could get it.  
Angela went downstairs and answered the door. "Kayla?" she said slowly.  
"I'm so glad you're home," Kayla said, "I wasn't sure who else to come to."  
"Kayla," Angela said, "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in over a year. Not since you had to move back to Fourside with your parents."  
"Yeah, I know," Kayla said, "And I'm real sorry for losing touch with you, but I knew I had to come see you now."  
"What's wrong?" Angela asked, "I can tell you're upset."  
"You'll never believe what happened to me this morning," Kayla said.  
Just then, they heard a blast in the air like a jet trying to break the sound barrier.  
"What was that?" Angela gasped, looking up.  
She and Kayla saw a bunch of figures fly by high in the sky. They could barely make them out.  
"What are those things?" Angela asked.  
"I can't tell," Kayla said, "But they don't look like birds or a plane."  
"Well, it can't be Superman," Angela said with a laugh.  
"Can you follow them?" Kayla asked.  
"What?" Angela gasped, "Why would I..."  
"Please," Kayla said, "Something very strange is going on and I'm learning not to let anything pass me by without figuring out what's up."  
"I... I suppose I could," Angela said, "They weren't going too fast."  
"Good," Kayla said, "See if you can find out where they're going. You have the power of telepathy right?"  
"Yeah," Angela said, "I can let you know as soon as I find out, but..."  
"Please hurry," Kayla said, "I'm just... really worried."  
"Sure," Angela said.  
Angela looked into her house, knowing her mother was in her room not suspecting a thing. She then looked up into the sky and a sudden rush of euphoria overcame her. She grinned slightly and then took off into the air and soared after the flying figures.  
Kayla watched her slowly fade into the distance.  
"I promise I'll find you Michael," she said softly to herself, "No matter what it takes." 

A warm breeze bended the long blades of grass in the mountainous region of Dalaam.  
"The winds are growing restless," a deep voice said.  
Emperor Poo rose to his feet and looked into the sky.  
"It is as I feared," he said, "The forces of darkness have returned in hopes of turning this world into a desolate wasteland of destruction."  
He walked over to a cliff and looked down at the world below.  
"Perhaps it is not too late to counter this evil," he went on, "I'll have to leave as soon as possible and join with Ness again. This cannot go unchecked for long."  
"Ahh!" a small voice gasped from above.  
Poo looked up to the high peak known as the place of emptiness. He smiled just a bit as he thought back on the time he traveled their for the first time.  
After a short time passed, a small boy climbed down the ropes leading up to the place of emptiness.  
"I am proud," Poo greeted, "You have completed your Mu training, Mako."  
"Thank you, master," Mako said, "I hope I will be able to great things in my time."  
"I am sure you will, my son," Poo said, "In fact, you may have that chance sooner than you think."  
"How is that?" Mako asked.  
"I do not have much time to explain," Poo said, "But we do have to leave very soon."  
"Leave Dalaam?" Mako said.  
"Yes," Poo said, "We must get to the city of Onett as quickly as we can."  
Just then, the ground beside them exploded into bits.  
Poo and Mako fell down in surprise.  
Poo sprung to his feet and searched the skies.  
"Master," Mako said, "Right there."  
Poo looked behind him.  
"I'm afraid I cannot let you do that, Emperor Poo," Supreme Starman said, "At least, not while I still draw breath." 


	6. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"It's coming in fast!" Bert yelled.  
Brian and Trevor tensed up as they watched Kraken speed through the water towards them.  
"How could he still be living?" Trevor asked, "Ness destroyed him."  
"Not enough I guess," Brian said shakily.  
"Do you have a motor on this thing!" Trevor demanded of Bert.  
"Yeah," Bert answered shortly, "Usually move slowly to conserve it."  
"Put it to full blast," Trevor said quickly and went to the back of the boat.  
Kraken picked himself up from the water more and opened his mouth up wide. A pillar of fire erupted from its throat and singed the sky above Brian and Trevor.  
"I guess my PSI fire beta won't do much here," Brian said with a nervous laugh.  
"No, not at all," Trevor said, "It would only make him stronger."  
"Well, I have my thunder alpha but it's nearly impossible to control where the lightning goes," Brian said, "I may wind up hitting us."  
"It's up to me," Trevor said.  
He stood firmly at the edge of the boat and stared at Kraken.  
Kraken seemed to smile as it coiled around the boat and prepared to strike.  
Trevor threw his hands up and cried, "PSI Repel Beta!"  
The force of his attack caught Kraken in the head and it rocketed backwards in the water.  
"Faster, Bert!" Trevor commanded.  
Bert had the motor lowered in the water and was turning it to maximum power. He ran to the front of the boat and scanned the water.  
"Eagleland! Up ahead!" he announced.  
Brian spun around and could make out the distant land of Eagleland.  
"Hold that thing off for a few minutes and we'll hit waters too shallow for it to follow!" Bert yelled to Trevor.  
Kraken raced through the water towards the small boat.  
"PSI Repel Beta!" Trevor yelled.  
Again, Kraken was forced backwards in the water. It let out a roar of fury and spewed flames in all directions. It soon gained control again though and raced after them.  
"PSI Repel Beta!" Trevor cried again.  
And so back and forth Kraken went, never getting close enough to damage the boat with its fiery breath.  
Trevor began panting as he held his stance firm and kept his gaze focused on the creature.  
"PSI... Repel Beta!" he gasped as Kraken was again thrown backwards away from them.  
"How much longer!" Brian yelled, "He can't keep this up forever!"  
"Almost there!" Bert yelled back.  
"PSI Repel Beta!" Trevor wheezed.  
Kraken flew backwards and Trevor's legs finally buckled and he fell to his hands and knees.  
"Trevor!" Brian gasped and he ran to his side.  
"No!" Bert shouted, "We won't make it! It's too close!"  
Kraken sped through the water and was quickly gaining on them, it's mouth spitting fire with every breath.  
Brian jumped to his feet and held his hand up to the sky.  
"I have to try," he said slowly, "PSI Thunder Alpha!"  
A bolt of lightning struck from a cloud but bent back upwards and struck nothing but the air.  
"Darn!" Brian cursed.  
"Can't... fail," Trevor murmured.  
"I'll try again," Brian gasped desparately.  
Trevor slowly forced himself to his feet.  
"I...can't...fail," he gasped.  
Sweat was pouring down his face and his whole body trembled.  
Brian held his hand up again to the sky, but before he summoned his power, he felt a sudden rush overwhelm him. He gasped and turned to Trevor.  
"Trevor," he stuttered, "What are you doing?"  
Trevor had his hands held out again. His breathing came in short gasps and his teeth were gritted.  
He shut his eyes tight and cried out in a loud voice, "PSI REPEL GAMMA!"  
Brian couldn't see anything, but he could feel the tremendous force ripple from Trevor's hands and rocket through the air. It struck Kraken and sent it flying high into the air. It also pushed their boat through the water at a speed greater than its motor could ever achieve. Trevor fell backwards on the deck. Waves crashed all around them as the aftermath of the attack rushed forward.  
Finally, the waters calmed down again. Brian saw that the boat was now very close to the shores of Eagleland.  
"Wow," he breathed.  
He looked at Trevor and gasped. He was laying very still on the deck.  
"No!" he cried and ran to Trevor.  
Brian knelt down and checked Trevor's pulse. He still had a heartbeat, but his breathing was slow and his eyes were constantly twitching.  
"Brian..." he mumbled.  
"I'm here," Brian answered.  
"It is you, after all," Trevor murmured, "At least one of those who will bring back the light."  
"What do you mean?" Brian asked nervously.  
"I've had dreams," Trevor said in a suddenly steady voice, "In them, dark clouds covered the Earth and a fierce storm began wiping out all existence of life, but then from out of nowhere, a beam of light broke through the clouds, and calmed the raging storm. 'For from out of the renewed darkness, a new light will emerge, taking shape as the six who mean to do harm only to evil and bring good will to all other things.'"  
"I'm no light," Brian said shortly, "I can't even..."  
"Listen," Trevor said quickly, "You have to move quickly once you get to Eagleland. You must find the others. You must combine your strength. Hurry and stop this new evil before it swallows the Earth whole."  
"Who are the others?" Brian stammered, "Where can I find them? What is this evil?"  
"You will find out," Trevor said, "It will show itself soon. It's already happening. You'll find it and you'll stop it."  
"And what about you?" Brian asked, "Where will you be?"  
"Find the others," Trevor mumbled, "Stop... the evil."  
He let out a long breath of air and his eyes closed.  
"Is he all right?" Bert asked, running up.  
"He's passed out," Brian said, "I think he'll be fine but he needs to rest for awhile. Doing PSI takes a lot out of you. Plus, he mentioned he wasn't born with these powers so his body probably isn't built to handle a power like that."  
"Sure did the trick though," Bert commented, "No sign of that Kraken character."  
"It's a good thing," Brian said lowly, "That someone was here that could help."  
He got up and walked to the side of the boat. He stared down at his reflection.  
_I was completely useless in all that,_ he thought to himself, _I couldn't do a single thing to stop that monster. If it wasn't for Trevor, we'd all be dead by now. Why did I even decide to come if already I can't handle things? I shouldn't have done this._  
"Here we are!" Bert announced.  
Brian jerked out of his trance and looked at the town they approached. It looked pretty similar to Popo back in Raptorland.  
"The small town of Toto," Bert informed Brian, "On the other side is the famous resort town, Summers."  
"Is there a hospital I can bring Trevor too?" Brian asked.  
"Sure," Bert answered, "Summers has one of the best places in Eagleland. Real state of the art, that place is. I'll help ya bring him in."  
Brian nodded his thanks, unable to find anymore words to say.  
Bert guided the boat up to a pier and docked. He helped Brian carry Trevor out and to the nearby hospital.  
The nurses took Trevor and wheeled him into a room for tests.  
"Well, I have to be going," Bert said, "Gonna anchor here for awhile. Don't really feel like going back in the water knowing that thing is out there now."  
"Thanks again for bringing us here," Brian said.  
Bert nodded and left the hospital.  
Brian let out a heavy sigh and sank into a chair in the waiting room. Some time passed before a doctor approached him.  
"You came with that boy in there?" he asked.  
"Yes," Brian said, "Is he okay? Is he awake?"  
The doctor looked partially away.  
"I'm afraid it isn't as simple as that," he said.  
"What do you mean?" Brian asked shakily.  
"We've been running some tests," the doctor explained, "Trevor's brain wave patterns are steadily decreasing."  
"I... I don't understand," Brian said.  
"I'm afraid he's slipping into a coma," the doctor said.  
"A coma?" Brian gasped, "But... what does that mean?"  
"He'll have to remain here," the doctor said, "We will continue to monitor him and see if there is any way to help him, but I'm afraid we can't do much until he pulls himself out of it."  
Brian tried to think of something else to ask, but the doctor's pager went off.  
"I have to go," he said shortly, "I'm very sorry about your friend. Do you have a place to stay?"  
"What?" Brian asked absently.  
"A place to stay," the doctor asked, "I'd recommend the hotel here, but the prices are pretty ridiculous. They have a small motel in Toto now though."  
"I'm fine," Brian said shortly.  
The doctor nodded, patted Brian's shoulder and hurried off.  
Brian wandered out of the hospital is a sort of daze. He slowly looked around the street and out onto the beach.  
"Well..." he mumbled, "I'm in Eagleland, but now what do i do?"  
He looked around and slowly walked down the long road. 

Angela flew through the air.  
"I guess I underestimated their speed," she mumbled to herself, "I'm having a hard time keeping up with them."  
Only by squinting could she make out the figures flying far in front of her. She was flying low now since she was over the Dusty Dunes Desert and she figured there wouldn't be a risk of anyone noticing her. Every now and then the wind blew the sand around and she had to fly higher to avoid getting caught in it.  
"I wonder who they are," she thought aloud, "Kayla seemed very anxious for me to figure out what they were up to. I should have asked her what happened. I've never seen her like that."  
Angela could soon make out skyscrapers in the distance. By squinting, she saw the far off objects descending to the ground.  
"They're going to Fourside!" she gasped.

Kayla wandered around the cemetary in Threed.  
_I remember reading about a village with creatures named Mr. Saturns,_ she thought, _Rumor said the road to their village was hidden somewhere in this cemetary. They were said to have been a big help to the legends. It's scary to think about it, but that creature with all the arms that attacked us... I've seen its picture in the history books. It was around in the old war. If it's happening again, I should find these Saturn people and get them to help again._  
Kayla pushed some shrubs aside and looked everywhere for some sign of a road.  
"This is useless!" she yelled in frustration.  
'Kayla, can you hear me?' echoed a soft voice in her head.  
'Angela?' Kayla replied.  
'I've tracked these... people, or whatever they are' Angela reported, 'They're in Fourside.'  
'I'm on my way' Kayla answered.  
She quickly ran out of the cemetary and picked up speed as she focused her mind.  
Suddenly, she disappeared with a banging sound and a flash of light. 

The echoes of Angela and Kayla's telepathic conversation reverberated through the air.  
Within a dark chamber, a loud snort echoed through, followed by a loud roar.  
"So it begins," a hissing voice stated. 

"Mako, be on guard," Poo warned, "It's a Starman."  
"Not just any Starman, Emperor," Supreme Starman answered, "I am the Supreme Starman."  
"Remind me to get your autograph," Poo retorted.  
"I'm sure you'll want it after I'm done," Supreme Starman shot back.  
"I know what is happening," Poo declared, "I know your dark forces have returned."  
"Do you?" Supreme Starman mused, "How studious of you."  
"You know you cannot possibly succeed in your dark ambitions," Poo said, "You will once again be beaten back by the forces of light and goodness."  
"Talk talk talk," Supreme Starman complained, "That's all any of you people do anymore, but tell me this, great Emperor Poo. If I am so destined to be defeated by the likes of you, then how come I have already been able to leave Ness within an inch of his life?"  
"You lie!" Poo hissed.  
"Not today," Supreme Starman laughed.  
Poo focused his mind on Ness. To his dismay, he could only find a weak signal in return.  
"What have you done to him?" Poo demanded, "It must be some means of treachery. No honorable means would have slowed Ness down."  
"Don't you understand!" Supreme Starman snapped, "This is has gone beyond honor and dignity. Power alone is the factor to be considered, and sadly for you, it seems that I am the one who holds the power... to kill you all!"  
With that, Supreme Starman held out his finger. His visor grew red.  
"Infector Beam!" he hissed.  
A red beam shot through the air at Poo.  
"Reflector!" Poo yelled.  
A shiny shield formed around him. The beam struck it and bounced back to Supreme Starman.  
Supreme Starman quickly jumped out of the way.  
Poo wasted no time and rushed towards Supreme Starman. He unsheathed the Sword of Kings and swung it towards him.  
Supreme Starman quickly leaned back and avoided the sword.  
Poo quickly spun around and swiped again. Supreme Starman jumped out of the way, but Poo came at him again and again with furious swings of his sword.  
Supreme Starman held out his hand to fire a beam at Poo, but Poo saw and quickly sliced with his sword.  
Supreme Starman let out a piercing scream that arose all the people of Dalaam.  
Poo slowly stepped back and held his sword firmly in position.  
Supreme Starman sank to his knees and clutched his hand in agony. Four of his fingers lay on the ground lifeless.  
Mako let out a gasp of surprise. He always knew Poo was exceptional but he never saw him in a true fight before.  
Poo slowly rose into the air as a golden aura began to swirl around him and then engulfed his sword.  
"Allow me to show you what happens to those who threaten my kingdom," Poo said.  
He held his sword out and pointed it at Supreme Starman.  
"Eternal Light of Kings!" he cried.  
The Sword of Kings lit up immensely and shot a piercing beam at Supreme Starman. It struck and exploded. Supreme Starman's screams filled the air.  
"You did it!" Mako yelled.  
Poo slowly came back down to the ground and sheathed his sword.  
"That was truly amazing to see," Mako marveled.  
"I'm afraid it is nothing compared to what you may see in the future," Poo answered grimly, "Supreme Starman's appearance only confirms my fears. The forces of evil have once again returned to ravage the lands. As I said before, we must go to Onett."  
"That's where the legendary Ness lives, right?" Mako said, "Supreme Starman mentioned he was injured."  
"I'm afraid that may be true," Poo responded, "Which means our presence is needed even more."  
"I am ready to meet this challenge," Mako stated.  
"Take my hand," Poo instructed, "We'll travel by PSI Farewell."  
A rock fell down the rocky cliff behind them.  
Poo's ears perked up as two unseen fingers pointed themselves at Mako and Poo. A red glow arose high in the air behind them.  
Poo gasped, "Get down!"  
He shoved Mako to the ground as he spun around, unsheathed his sword and flung it through the air.  
A monstorous beam already was rushing towards him though and struck the ground in front in him.  
The ground exploded upwards, rocketing Poo into the air. Supreme Starman quickly tilted his head to the left, narrowly avoiding the sword as it struck the rocks next to him.  
Mako rolled over to avoid the debris and quickly sprung to his feet. He looked around.  
And that," Supreme Starman growled, "is what I do to those who foolishly ridicule ME."  
Mako looked at the cliff in shock. He ran to it and looked over the edge.  
"No..." he moaned, "Father? FATHER!"  
His cries only echoed down the mountain and he heard no response  
"That's two down," Supreme Starman gasped, "Or make that three once I dispose of you."  
Supreme Starman leapt off the small cliff and soared towards Mako.  
"You murderer!" Mako erupted.  
He spun around and swung his arm at Supreme Starman, yelling "PSI Thunder Beta!"  
Two bolts of lightning struck Supreme Starman simultaneously. He yelled in surprise and flew backwards and into the stony wall.  
Mako quickly raced by him and gathered his speed.  
Supreme Starman burst out of the wall and turned towards Mako, but a bang filled the air and Mako was gone.  
"All right," Supreme Starman, "I'll kill you later, then." 

Georg stood firmly in his place as he watched Supreme Starman through an orb.  
"Allowing himself to be injured," he growled, "The fool. He better return to full strength soon or else the plan will be ruined."  
"Georg," a shrill voice spoke up.  
"What is it, Elder Mook?" Georg asked.  
"The master calls for you," Elder Mook replied.  
Georg turned around. "Very well," he said and walked off into a narrow path.  
He followed the winding path until it reached a doorway. He placed his hand on a red panel next to the door and a blue light scanned his hand. The door slowly slid open and Georg stepped inside.  
"Ahh, Georg," a hissing voice said, "SO nice of you to come."  
"Master Rygwar," Georg answered and bowed his head.  
"Come into the light," Rygwar ordered, "so I can see you better."  
Georg walked up towards Rygwar. As he entered the light he looked upon Rygwar.  
He was a small figure. His skin was pale green and his eyes were of a marroon color. His body was thin and frail and his breathing always came in short wheezes. His hands came to six long fingers and his feet were split into two sharp talons. His head was wide and curved backwards into two spikes. A long tail waved about behind him with a curved blade on the end, but even the blade did not look very menacing.  
Rygwar sat in round sphere that floated above the ground. He had a panel in front of him to move the sphere around the room.  
"The war is starting, Georg," Rygwar hissed.  
"Yes, master," Georg replied.  
"Already events are playing out as were predicted," Rygwar said, "The five have already begun."  
"And we already have one being held at Stonehenge, sir," Georg reported.  
"And we must make him useful, Georg," Rygwar said, "A boy such as he is, he could become an excellent warrior, but we must make sure he is on the right side before that happens."  
"We are already conducting tests on all the prisoners, master," Georg replied, "They will all prove useful in time."  
"And what of the Four?" Rygwar asked.  
"Supreme Starman has already succeeded in eliminating Ness and Poo as threats," Georg said, "We are currently trying to track down the one they call Jeff, but it is proving to be more difficult than expected. We know he works in an old laboratory he inherited from his father, but he must have some cloaking device over the lab making it hard for us to locate it."  
"The young Andonuts' knowledge of PSI rivals even my own," Rygwar answered, "We must do well to not underestimate him. He may not posess any of the miraculous PSI powers, but he knows how to effectively exploit all of its weaknesses."  
"I am hoping that tracking him down won't be as difficult any longer," Georg said, "Now that Ness has been immobilized, I am sure Jeff will return to him. They will attempt to reforge their old force."  
"An event that we must not let happen," Rygwar insisted, "There is enough to concern ourselves over without having those meddlesome bunch running around.  
"I assure you they are well within our capabilities of dealing with at this point," Georg said, "I also should mention some unusual news that I have learned from our scouts in Raptorland."  
"Yes?" Rygwar said.  
"Details have arrived surrounding the young Brian's reasons for arriving in Eagleland. His town was attacked by a group of cyborgs led by one named Porkle."  
"Cyborgs?" Rygwar mused, "How very interesting. It seems that this planet has even more surprises up its sleeve."  
"We have tried tracking these cyborgs, but they are moving too fast. So far it is unclear what their intentions are."  
"I'm not concerned over their intentions," Rygwar spat, "They're intentions are irrelevant. I am only concerned over their existence, and even more concerned that you lot are incapable of dealing with Earth-made creatures such as them."  
"Yes, master," Georg said nervously, "But we aren't even sure if they are Earth-made, after all."  
"You see nothing," Rygwar said simply, "Waste no more time here. You must send a force to eliminate these cyborgs. The propose a risk greater than your comprehension could grasp."  
Georg took a step back.  
"As you wish, master," Georg answered, "I will send out a legion under Elder Mook to track them down and take care of them"  
"See to it that they don't take long," Rygwar ordered.  
Georg slowly bowed and left the chamber.  
Rygwar rotated his spherical throne and hovered over to a low table. He reached out and picked up a large piece of paper with his hand. Several statistics and graphs littered the paper.  
"This was one thing Giygas was right about," Rygwar said to himself as he looked over the graphs, "This planet is by far the best candidate for the procedure, and once everything is in order, absolute power will once again belong to our kind!" 

The loud clanging sound woke Robert up from his dreamless sleep. He sat up on the cold, hard floor and looked around.  
It was very dark were he was except for a dim light high above. He could see that he was a complete mess. His skin had blotches of dirt on it. His hair was a tangled a mess. His shirt was halfway ripped off and a tear ran down the outside of one of his pants legs.  
He stood up and winced as his side ached.  
"You're awake," a low voice said.  
Robert spun around and insticively reached for his gun but of course it was not there.  
A boy slowly walked into the light.  
Robert no longer felt that he looked bad after seeing this boy.  
He appeared to be a couple years younger. Fresh bruises ran up and down his body. His right eye was swollen shut. His clothes appeared to have been shredded and now hung from him like dirty rags.  
Robert opened his mouth to speak but he could find no words.  
"Yea, I look pretty bad," the boy said, "I know it."  
"What have they done to you?" Robert asked.  
"Things..." the boy said, "Terrible things. I feel pity for you because you have yet to experience it."  
Robert slowly swallowed and looked around again.  
"What is this place?" he asked, "What is its purpose?"  
"The only purpose I have seen so far is torture," the boy answered, "Evil. That's the only way to describe the creatures here. Pure evil."  
The door to their cell suddenly swung open and a robot slid in.  
"Prisoner 4237," it said in a mechanical voice and looking at Robert, "You will come with me."  
Robert looked at the robot and studied it.  
"Very well," he said and walked towards the door.  
When the robot turned its back to Robert to lead the way, Robert quickly spun and around and kicked with all his might.  
His foot connected with the base of the robot's head and its head flew off.  
"Malfunction!" the robot yelled, "Malfunction!"  
Robert quickly ran to the robot's head and smahed it to bits.  
"Whoa..." the boy gasped.  
"I think these guys have had enough fun for one day," Robert said, "How about we get out of here?"  
A small grin appeared on the boy's face. "I think I'd like that," he said, "I'm Michael."  
"Robert," Robert answered, "Now let's get going!" 


	7. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The first priority for Brian was to get some clothes suitable for the weather.  
Raptorland was known for it's mild climate and now Brian was in Summers, one of the hottest areas around.  
He now had his jeans and jacket packed in his backpack and was wearing shorts and a t-shirt from Toto.  
Brian sat on a bench overlooking the beach and stared out at the water. Of course his mind was on Kraken. He could barely think of anything else.  
He ran over the battle again in his mind, and still could find only things to criticize himself on. It was Trevor who saved them all from certain death. Trevor had said that Brian is supposed to be among some group who will defeat this new evil. Brian didn't see how that could be true  
He looked down at the cement below him, falling deeper into his worry.  
"Now, that is no way to be spending a day as beautiful as this," came a soothing voice.  
Brian looked up to see a middle-aged man with red hair smiling at him. He gestured towards the empty spot next to Brian.  
"Do you mind?" he asked.  
Brian answered with a shrug. The man sat down and spoke, "So why is a young fellow like yourself doing so down in the dumps?"  
"I just have a lot on my mind," Brian answered lowly.  
"At so young an age?" the man replied, "It's sad how so many of the young seem to be burdened with things they shouldn't worry about."  
"Well, sometimes there are things too important to not worry about them," Brian said.  
The man smiled, "Now you're beginning to sound like one of my old friends. He too had to take on too much as too young an age, but I guess his case was a bit unique considering he had to save the world."  
"Save the world?" Brian asked.  
"Yep," The man answered, "You've probably read about him somewhere. My friend was Jeff Andonuts."  
"One of the Chosen Four," Brian said slowly.  
The man nodded and said, "I went to school with him in Winters. My name is Tony." He held out a hand.  
"I'm Brian," Brian said and shook Tony's hand.  
"So I take it you know all about Jeff's adventures," Tony assumed.  
"Not that much really," Brian said, "I was never that into it, at least not before..."  
"Before what?" Tony asked.  
Brian looked away. He really wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it, but this was a friend of the Chosen Four. He must have a good idea what something like this really means.  
"Well, there have been things happening recently," Brian began, "Strange things."  
"Such as?" Tony asked, his smile suddenly gone.  
"I live over in Raptorland in a town called Pikor," Brian explained.  
"I've heard of it," Tony said, "You're a long way from there now."  
"Yea," Brian said, "This guy said we had to come to Eagleland. See, these cyborg-looking things attacked my town, and then they took off and we think they came here."  
"Sounds serious," Tony said.  
"And there's more," Brian continued, "As we crossed the sea, we ran into this creature named Kraken."  
"Kraken is alive!" Tony gasped.  
Brian slowly nodded and went on, "We were almost done for then. Luckily we had some... help."  
"And you fought him?" Tony asked.  
"Tried to," Brian said, lowering his head.  
"So he's still alive then," Tony assumed.  
"Maybe," Brian said.  
Tony leaned back in the bench and let out a sigh. "I just sincerely hope this doesn't mean what I think it means."  
"I think it does," Brian said, "My companion... he told me that something is coming. Something terrible, and apparently I need to help stop it."  
Tony looked at Brian carefully. "You're part of the next generation. New chosen ones."  
Brian felt uncomfortable and stood up. "I don't know what I am," he said shortly, "I don't feel like someone chosen."  
"Neither did Jeff," Tony said, "but he still knew what he had to do, and so should you."  
"I know," Brian said, "I just... I mean I don't know..."  
"It's okay to be scared," Tony said.  
Brian shivered despite the hot sun above.  
"Jeff was scared too," Tony went on, "They all were. Anyone would be scared with something like this being placed before them. Something Jeff always said though was that he couldn't let his fear consume him. He had to learn how to use it as a weapon to make himself even stronger."  
"He sounds like an amazing person," Brian said.  
"He is," Tony said, "And you will be too."  
Brian looked down again. Tony stood up and put his hand on Brian's shoulder.  
"Look, there are others like you. If history is to repeat itself, then there are already people in place to help you and help everyone else. Trust that fate knew what it was doing when it chose you."  
Brian smiled a bit. "Thanks."  
"No," Tony said, "Thank you. Thank you for deciding to stand up for the rest of us. I know you will be able to do anything to help us."  
"I don't even know where to start," Brian said.  
Just then, a few kids walked by. Brian and Tony could hear their conversation.  
"Are you serious, man?" one kid asked.  
"Totally, dude," another one answered, "I heard it from my parents. All contact with Brindlewood is gone. Something weird is going down up there."  
"Heavy," the first one said. The kids continued walking away.  
Brian looked at Tony, wondering if he was thinking the same thing.  
Tony nodded and said, "There's where you need to start."  
"Where is Brindlewood?" Brian asked.  
"Take the road north past the hotel," Tony instructed, "Brindlewood is a small village. It's about an hour away when walking. You should buy some food for yourself."  
"Right," Brian said. He put his backpack on and took a deep breath.  
"You'll be fine," Tony said, "If what happened twenty years ago is indeed happening again, then keep your guard up. You'll be heading into a forest area with many animals. They may be affected by the same madness creatures were infected with before."  
"Yea, they will be," Brian said.  
"Good luck," Tony said.  
"Thanks," Brian said and turned to leave.  
"Wait," Tony said, "I have something I think may come in handy."  
Tony reached in his pocket and pulled out a phone.  
"This is what I used to keep in contact with Jeff when he was on his journey," he explained, "Take it. You can receive and make calls with this phone. I have a feeling that I'm going to want to keep tabs on you and your adventures."  
"Thanks," Brian said, "I'm sure it will be good to have."  
"Off you go then," Tony said, "Keep in touch, and good luck."  
Brian smiled, "Thanks again for talking with me. It helped."  
Tony nodded and smiled.  
Brian nodded back and then set off. 

The park in Fourside was full of people walking their dogs and children playing. Everyone seemed happy and content. They never worried about what could be happening. The important thing was that times were good now, and it didn't look like it would change anytime soon.  
Nobody noticed the sudden mass of people moving into the forest. They moved swiftly and quietly. Their eyes darted around, scanning the area, with one eye collecting data about their surroundings. Some clenched their metallic fists, eager to create chaos. Eager to spread death.  
"We're here," Porkle said.  
The cyborgs came to a halt at the edge of the park.  
Porkle pointed to a skyscraper towering above all the other buildings.  
"That is the Monitoli Building," Porkle explained, "The central power of Fourside. It's what keeps this city going. Our mission is quite simple. Six of you will come with me to disable the Monitoli Building. The rest of you?"  
Porkle looked around as a menacing grin appeared on his half-cybernetic face.  
"The rest of you get to have whatever fun you deem worthy with the rest of the city."  
The cyborgs nodded simultaneously.  
"Now, let's move out!" Porkle commanded.  
Suddenly, a loud cracking sound echoed around them. Porkle spun around in time to see a girl run up to them.  
"Hi," she said in an innocent voice, "What are you up to?"  
Porkle studied her. One eye looked at her body. She was short with shoulder length blonde hair. She had blue eyes and pale skin and a certain stance about her that seemed to convey either confidence or cockiness. The other eye scanned her internal body. The data was organized and an evaluation was executed.  
"Class A," Porkle said.  
The cyborgs moved around with eagerness.  
"Okay, whatever that means," the girl said, "I know your up to no good. I saw you flying over Threed."  
"And now you're here," Porkle said, "Teleportation is a very handy skill isn't it?"  
"Yes, it is," the girl answered, "And so are my other skills."  
"As amused as I am, I'm afraid I have no time to play," Porkle said, "I have other pressing matters to attend to." He glanced at the Monitoli Building.  
The girl followed his glance. "And what matters could they be if they involve my grandfather's company?"  
"Your grandfather?" Porkle said, suddenly more intrigued, "Just who are you?"  
"My name is Kayla," Kayla answered.  
"And you intend to what, challenge us?" Porkle asked with a chuckle.  
"I do," Kayla answered sternly.  
"How brave of you," Porkle said, "Or how foolish, or have you not noticed the number of men I have at my command while you are clearly all by yourself."  
"She's not by herself," a voice called out from above.  
Suddenly, another girl landed next to Kayla. She was taller with long brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin.  
"Another Class A," Porkle commented, "How honored I am to get two for the price of one, and who might you be, my dear?"  
"My name is Angela," Angela answered, "And whatever it is you guys are doing, I think you better just stop."  
"Oh, but I haven't even begun to have fun yet," Porkle said, "but thanks to you two, it looks like I get to have some fun right now."  
Porkle looked around at the other cyborgs.  
"Attack." 

Robert and Michael moved quickly down the hallway away from their cell. It seemed relatively quiet down the corridors with little security in their way.  
"I guess they never expected anyone to escape," Robert commented.  
"I don't think anyone else could have," Michael said, "I've tried to attack those things before. I barely scratched them. You must be really strong."  
"Well, I grew up differently than most other kids," Robert said.  
The continued down the hallway until they reached the end. Robert felt a small breeze coming from the right, so he turned that way.  
"So what's the plan?" Michael asked.  
"We escape," Robert said simply, "And we take out anything that gets in our way."  
"Sounds like you watch too many action movies," Michael commented.  
"I don't watch TV," Robert said.  
"Play alot of fighting games then?" Michael offered.  
"No games," Robert said, "Just life."  
"Harsh life then," Michael retorted.  
"You have no idea," Robert answered.  
Robert suddenly stepped on something round and slipped a little. He looked down and saw a metal rod on the floor. He picked it up and handed it to Michael.  
"You can use this as a weapon," he said to Michael.  
"Guess it'll work better than my hands," Michael said.  
As they walked on, they could tell an opening was ahead. When they reached it, Robert peeked out of it.  
"This just got harder," Robert said lowly.  
Michael looked around and almost let out a yelp. It was a fairly open room, and it was full of all sorts of creatures. Some were clearly robots, and others were clearly something that didn't exist on this planet.  
"I've seen those before," Michael said, pointing to a creature with many arms and legs.  
"The one with those two eyes on stalks?" Robert asked.  
"I saw it before I was captured," Michael explained, "I never actually saw it fight before."  
"Hopefully it doesn't fight very well then," Robert mumbled.  
Robert continued to scan the room, hoping to find a way out. He then noticed a door down to the right of where he was standing. It opened and a robot came in, and Robert saw daylight shining down inside the room.  
"There," Robert said, "I think that's the way out."  
"That's a long way from here," Michael said nervously, "We'll never make it over there without being seen."  
"I know," Robert said, "I think we'll have to make a run for it. Are you strong enough to move fast?"  
"I think so," Michael said in a strange, high-pitched voice.  
"Okay, on three," Robert said, "One... two... THREE!"  
They burst out of their hiding spot and ran toward the door.  
"Prisoners out of their cell!" shouted a mechanical voice.  
"Stop them!" a shrill voice shrieked, "Stop them now!"  
Several robots began firing beams at Robert and Michael that singed as they struck the metal around them.  
"Faster!" Robert cried.  
Suddenly, one of the many-armed creatures climbed up onto the path they were running on and began to race towards them.  
Michael threw the metal rod at it, but it caught the rod with one of its arms and tossed it aside.  
"Humans are no match for a Mook!" it hissed.  
"We'll see about that," Robert said.  
He ducked down low and propelled himself at the Mook. He hit him low and knocked several of his legs out from under him.  
The Mook shrieked with surprise as it fell over.  
"Run!" Robert yelled at Michael.  
Michael continued to run toward the door as beams rocketed toward him.  
Robert quickly moved around the Mook and punched it as hard as he could in its eye. The eye burst from the impact and green juices splattered over Robert.  
The Mook let out an ear-piercing bellow and with its arms hurled Robert off of him.  
Robert quickly sprung to his feet and raced towards the door. Michael reached it and opened it quickly. He and Robert burst into the room and shut the door.  
Robert looked around and noticed a rope ladder leading up to a hole. He could see daylight through the hole.  
"Let's go," Robert said and began to climb the ladder with Michael behind him.  
Robert suddenly got a bad feeling and looked down. He saw it as it seemingly appeared out of nowhere. It was tall and slim. It bore a red insignia on its chest, and its hand stretched out towards Michael.  
"Michael, watch out!" Robert gasped.  
Michael looked down and was suddenly ripped off the ladder and thrown to the ground. He let out a grunt as he landed.  
"Michael!" Robert gasped.  
"I think he is the least of your problems now," the creature said, "For now you have to deal with the wrath of Supreme Starman."  
Robert looked up. He was not far from the hole. He could reach it from where he was.  
"Yes, you could escape," Supreme Starman said, "But are you willing to abandon your friend here?"  
"Robert, go!" Michael yelled.  
"No!" Robert answered, "I can take this guy."  
"No, you can't!" Michael yelled, "I've seen him. I've seen what he can do. Get out now!"  
"I won't leave you," Robert said firmly, "I never leave a man behind."  
"How noble of you," Supreme Starman retorted, "But I'm afraid your little friend is right. You could not hope to be a challenge to me. I could easily kill you right now."  
"Robert, please get out of here," Michael said, "You can still help from the outside. Find Kayla Monotoli."  
"Who?" Robert asked.  
"She's my friend," Michael said, "She can help you get back in here. I'm sure of it."  
Robert looked up helplessly.  
"I _will_ come back for you," Robert promised and quickly grabbed the top of the hole and pulled himself out. A red beam soared past him as he ran away. He quickly ran past these giant stones arranged in a pattern and ran into the forest nearby. Once he felt safe, he sank down to the snowy ground and bowed his head.  
"I will be back," he swore aloud, "You can all count on that." 

The grass felt the same. The air smelt the same. Everything about the house was the same. Jeff smiled as he looked around, feeling happy that some things don't change that much.  
He walked up to the door of the house and rang the doorbell. The door opened almost instantly.  
"Oh, Jeff..." Paula sighed and sank into his arms.  
"It'll be okay," Jeff said, rubbing Paula's back, "Where is he?"  
"Laying down," Paula said, "He's awake though. He hasn't really been able to sleep."  
Jeff hurried through the living room and went up the stairs to the bedroom. He opened the door and stepped in.  
"Jeff," Ness greeted.  
"How's it going, old friend?" Jeff asked.  
"I've been better," Ness said, glancing down at the bandage covering his wound.  
Jeff diverted his eyes to a quiet boy sitting by Ness.  
"Hello, Christian," Jeff said.  
"Hi," Christian said in a low voice, "Are you here to help my dad?"  
"I'm here to try," Jeff answered.  
"That monster was scary," Christian said, "He moved around so fast and hurt my dad."  
"But he's gone now, son," Ness said, "And Jeff is here now, and soon Poo will be. We won't have to worry after that."  
"Honey," Paula said, "Why don't you go work on some of your homework now. Mommy and Daddy need to speak with Mr. Jeff."  
"Okay," Christian said and left the room.  
"He's a good kid," Jeff said, "So concerned, just like his father was."  
"He is," Ness agreed.  
"So, down to business then," Jeff said, "What exactly happened here?"  
"It was a Starman," Ness explained, "He called himself Supreme Starman."  
"Supreme?" Jeff said, "Sounds like he has a high opinion of himself."  
"He was different than other Starmen though," Ness said, "He seemed almost human the way he acted."  
"Making him more of a threat than even a Final Starman I imagine," Jeff said.  
"Yea, the Supreme part of the name isn't just for jokes," Ness said, "He means business."  
"And this wound," Jeff said, "You can't heal it?"  
"I've tried everything," Ness said, "I think there is some sort of PSI barrier on it or something."  
"Well, let's see what I can find," Jeff said. He pulled a gadget out of his bag. It was long and thin and had a sensor on one end.  
"My PSI Tuner," Jeff said, "If there's something unnatural about that wound, this will surely detect it."  
He turned it on. Paula slowly pulled the bandage away from Ness' wound and Jeff held the PSI Tuner close to it. It began to beep ferociously.  
"Yes, there's definitely a PSI force radiating from that wound," Jeff said.  
Paula re-bandaged the wound as Jeff put the PSI Tuner away.  
"The good news is it looks like the wound is healing naturally, so I guess it isn't an injury that won't go away."  
"It's just one I have to deal with until it goes away on its own," Ness said.  
"I'm afraid so," Jeff answered, "Clearly this Supreme Starman wanted to put you out of commission for awhile."  
"That's what I'm worried about," Ness said, "Something's going to happen soon. Something Supreme Starman didn't want me involved in."  
"Jeff, do you think this could be another invasion?" Paula asked.  
"That is my main theory, yes," Jeff answered, "Earlier this morning, I picked up an earthquake occurring in this distant town in Raptorland called Berk."  
"Was there something abnormal about it?" Ness asked.  
"Other than the fact that Berk has never had an earthquake because it is more than 600 miles away from the nearest fault line?" Jeff answered.  
"It wasn't natural?" Paula asked.  
"I don't think it was," Jeff said, "Whatever is happening, I fear it is someone trying to finish what Giygas started."  
"Then we have to do something," Ness said, "Now."  
"You have to rest," Paula said.  
"I can't sit here while some alien attempts to destroy everything I've worked for!" Ness snapped.  
"Paula's right, Ness," Jeff said, "You can't risk going into battle, at least not now. You need to stay here, and Paula will stay here as well to guard you in case anything else shows up here. Poo and I can try to figure out what's going on and try to stop it, or at least stall it long enough for you to get better."  
Ness didn't look satisfied, but he nodded his head in agreement.  
A cracking sound then was heard from downstairs.  
"Poo must be here," Ness said.  
"Hello?" a tiny voice called up the stairs.  
Ness, Paula, and Jeff looked at each other. "That doesn't sound like Poo," Paula said.  
Jeff pulled out a stun gun from his bag and slowly opened the door. He heard footsteps coming up the stairs.  
"Is anyone home?" the voice asked.  
As the footsteps reached the top step, Jeff sprung out of Ness' room with his stun gun aimed. Mako let out a gasp of surprise and nearly fell down the stairs.  
Jeff looked at Mako with curiosity. "You look so much like him," he said in amazement.  
"Yes," Mako answered, "I've been told that many times."  
"Mako," Jeff said, "Poo's son."  
Paula came out of Ness' room. "So you're Poo's son?" she asked.  
"I am," Mako answered.  
"Well, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Paula said, "Please come in."  
They led Poo into Ness' room.  
"Somebody shrunk Poo," Ness said with a laugh.  
Mako looked down.  
"What is it, son?" Jeff asked, "Why so glum? And more to the point, why are you here and Poo is not?"  
"Because..." Mako said shakily, "Because Poo is dead."  
Paula sat down quickly on the bed. She looked as though she was slapped in the face. Ness' breathing came fast. Jeff slowly stood up.  
"He's... dead?" Jeff managed to ask.  
Mako slowly nodded. "Supreme Starman... killed him."  



	8. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Jeff stood by the window in Ness' room gazing into the sky above.  
Paula sat on a nearby chair quietly crying into her tissue.  
Ness was still sitting up in his bed, not quite wrapping his mind around it.  
They had just listened to Mako's story about how Supreme Starman attacked him and Poo. How Poo fought back fiercely and had appeared to have destroyed him, but Supreme Starman came back for more and sent Poo hurtling off the high cliff. It seemed very surreal to them. They no longer felt right inside.  
"I just... can't believe," Ness murmured, breaking the silence.  
Mako slowly nodded. He was standing by the dresser, looking upon a picture of Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo when they were just kids themselves. He was deeply saddened, but he knew now was not the time for emotions to take over.  
"I came here in accordance with Poo's plan," Mako described, "He said we had to come here at once."  
"He most likely sensed what was coming," Jeff said, "Not much got by Poo. We never even knew who he was when he joined us so many years ago, but he knew perfectly well who we were and what had to be done."  
"He saved us many times," Ness commented, "But now... we weren't able to save him."  
"You musn't blame yourself, hon," Paula consoled, "We had no idea what was going on."  
Ness let out a snort of some kind.  
"Regardless of what has happened, we must work now to stop this thing before it goes any further," Mako said, "I'm sure my father intended to join with you all once again to fight this evil. Since he can no longer do that, I would like to take his place and fight with you."  
Jeff turned away from the window and looked at Mako.  
"That is very brave of you, Mako," he complimented, "and also very curious."  
"How so?" Ness asked.  
"Consider the facts," Jeff said, "Before this new evil even really began to make its move, it managed to eliminate half of the Chosen Four. I have to wonder if there is any significance in that."  
"What are you getting at, Jeff?" Paula asked.  
"Here we have this young boy," Jeff went on, "He is willing and able to stand up to this new evil just like his father did twenty years ago. He is doing this because his father, sadly, is no longer with us. Furthermore, Ness is no longer in any shape to fight this battle. I have to wonder..."  
"Are we even meant to fight this battle," Ness finished.  
Jeff nodded in agreement.  
"You think fate has chosen new kids to fight the battle?" Paula asked.  
"The more I think about it, the more I am leaning towards the possibility," Jeff said.  
"I suppose it makes sense," Ness said, "We already have one kid who seems to have been placed in that position."  
"I am ready to face whatever comes at me," Mako declared, "I will fight for the honor of my father."  
"But isn't there still something we can do?" Paula asked, "I'm fully aware that children are capable of beating a force such as this, but it still makes me uncomfortable to do nothing to help them when I know that I can."  
"Of course, Paula," Jeff said, "We can all still help in this fight, and I'm sure Mako will appreciate our help especially now when we don't know much about our enemy."  
The telephone rang downstairs. Paula left the room to go answer it.  
"So, do you think you'll be up for this, Mako?" Ness asked.  
"I have completed my Mu training," Mako answered, "I have been prepared for the worst, and I face it without fear."  
"You're definitely Poo's son," Ness said with a smile.  
Paula came back in the room.  
"Jeff?" she said, "It's for you. It's your friend, Tony. He says he has news for you." 

Armed with a burger and fries in his backpack, Brian walked along the path leading away from Summers. He could see a forest up ahead and glanced back at his bat sticking out of his backpack. He knew that more than likely he will have to face a handful of battles along the way. He wasn't sure if he was ready for it or not, but he knew this was something he had to do  
As he approached the forest, he noticed a sign on the side of the path.  
It read, "Brindlewood - 1 mile. Please watch out for forest ticks"  
Brian looked ahead at the forest and took a deep breath.  
"Here goes nothing," he said to noone.  
He walked into the forest and could already feel the overwhelming sense of unrest. Even the trees looked like they were uneasy. Brian reached back and pulled his bat out of his backpack and held it firmly, and not a moment too soon.  
From behind a tree, a stray dog let out a piercing howl and leapt at Brian. Brian jumped a bit and turned towards the dog. Before he swing his bat though, the dog landed on him and he fell down.  
The dog quickly tried to go for the throat, but Brian put his bat in the way and the dog's fangs tasted hard aluminum.  
The dog reacted by darting around the other side of Brian and getting a mouthful of his shirt. The dog began to try and drag Brian away.  
Brian swung with his bat.  
The dog jumped out of the way, and Brian quickly got back up to his feet.  
Brian faced the dog and held his bat at the ready. The dog, however, did not attack. It merely growled and stood poised. Brian then saw what the dog was waiting for.  
From behind the dog, a large shrub straddled up towards them. Brian was shocked to see that it moved around as if it had a mind of its own.  
While trying to figure the shrub out, Brian did not notice it breaking off one of its branches, which it then hurled at Brian at a frightening speed.  
The branch hit Brian in the forehead.  
"Ow!" he gasped.  
He put his hand to his forehead and could feel a small cut. He looked at the dog and the shrub and wished he was back in Pikor.  
The dog let out another howl and began to charge towards Brian.  
_I have to protect myself,_ Brian thought.  
He raised his hand and yelled, "PSI Shield Alpha!"  
An invisible shield quickly appeared around Brian. The dog ran into it and was blown backwards. The shrub quickly began to move in closer.  
Brian put the bat in his backpack and held out both hands towards the shrub.  
"PSI Fire Alpha!" he cried.  
A smoldering ball of fire flew through the air and struck the shrub. The fire caught its leaves and branches on fire. It raced away to find water, but eventually withered away to nothing before it could find any.  
The dog was still moving and began to come at Brian again.  
"Here's something different for you," Brian said, "PSI Hypnosis Alpha!"  
The dog began to stagger as an overwhelming feeling of sleepiness overcame it. It slowed down until it finally came to a stop, and then fell over. It was fast asleep.  
Brian slowly backed away and moved on. He continued to encounter various creatures throughout the forests. They ranged from dive-bombing birds to spore-scattering mushrooms. The birds Brian found were easily taken out with an accurate swing of his bat, while the mushrooms also did not like the presence of PSI Fire.  
As Brian neared the edge of the forest, he saw a tiny hut on the side of the path. He could hear whimpering coming fron inside. He walked up to the doorway.  
"Hello?" he called as he stepped inside.  
He saw in the corner a small mouse weeping.  
"What's wrong?" Brian asked.  
The mouse looked up.  
"My children," she bawled, "They're all still trapped in Brindlewood. We tried to get away when those things came, but I lost them all. I don't know where they are, and I'm too frightened to go back. Oh, I don't know what to do!"  
She continued to sob.  
"It's okay," Brian said, "I'm heading to Brindlewood now. I'll keep an eye out for them."  
"Would you?" the mouse squeaked, "I'd be most grateful, but please be careful. The monsters look very dangerous. Very dangerous indeed."  
Brian had trouble swallowing, but said, "I'll bring them back."  
He walked out of the hut and continued onward, feeling more nervous than he was when he left Summers. He had no idea what he was walking into, and it seemed insane that he was doing it anyway.  
He came to the end of the pathway and saw a sign stating that Brindlewood was 100 paces ahead.  
He then could hear a lot of strange noises coming from the village. They sounded like many feet shifting along on the grass, and every now and then he could hear high shrill voices bickering.  
He came into the opening and could see the village up ahead. Noticing some large rocks, Brian decided to go hide behind those so he could try and see what was going on.  
After crouching down behind a rock, Brian peered around it and into the village. He had to keep himself from letting out a yelp of surprise. He was not expecting what he saw.  
Many, many legs. The arms looked like long tentacles of a squid. The mouth was large and the eyes rested on the top of two long stalks.  
"Mooks," a voice whispered.  
Brian nearly fell over from the shock. He turned around and saw a boy about his age.  
"Sorry," the boy said, "I saw you sneaking close to the village and was curious what you were doing."  
"I'm not entirely sure I do know what I'm doing," Brian said lowly.  
The boy crept up beside Brian. "I'm Heath," he said, "My dad's the mayor."  
"Is he still in the village?" Brian asked.  
"Yea," Heath answered, "They're keeping him prisoner in the prison house."  
"What did you call those things?" Brian asked.  
"Mooks," Heath said, "At least that's what they've called each other. Private Mook, Charger Mook, Defender Mook, and of course the Senior Mook."  
"Senior?" Brian repeated.  
"I think he's the leader," Heath said, "He's a little taller than the rest of them and he's a different color. Most of them are blue and purple. He's sort of a grayish color. The others seem scared of him."  
"So taking him out will probably stop the rest of them," Brian said.  
"Is that what you're here to do?" Heath asked, "You're here to save us?"  
"Uh..." Brian stuttered, "I guess I've come to try."  
"My dad said the Chosen Four would come," Heath said, "He said these things have been on Earth before. He's seen pictures. They were a part of the big invasion people talk about. The one from twenty years ago?"  
"I've heard of it," Brian said dryly.  
"He said the Chosen Four saved the planet, and he said they can do it again. We just have to be patient."  
"You're dad sounds like he has a lot of faith in these Chosen Four," Brian remarked.  
Heath nodded and said, "And I wouldn't mind meeting them either. That'd be way cool."  
"Yea," Brian agreed, "Well, I don't know if they're coming."  
"They're not?" Heath said, "But then who will help us?"  
"It looks like I will," Brian said, and he got up and began to walk towards the village.  
Heath stared after him and his eyes widened. "New chosen ones," he murmured.  
Brian walked into the village and looked around. It seemed rather deserted except for the occasional Mook moving around. Brian kept out of their sight and kept looking around. He knew he had to find the Senior Mook. It made the most sense.  
He looked around a corner and noticed a larger building that said "Town Hall"  
"So if I were an invading alien monster, where would I keep myself held up?" Brian asked aloud, "A place of power?"  
He quickly moved towards town hall and ran up the stairs.  
Brian then heard a shrill shriek from behind him. He looked to see a Mook pointing its long arm at him while its eyes flashed with anger.  
Brian quickly ran up to the door and burst inside. He scanned the open room and saw what looked like a large door leading to an office. He ran towards the office door.  
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a Mook racing towards him with its long arm stretched out and swinging towards him.  
"PSI Shield Alpha!" he yelled.  
The Mook's arm hit his leg but was repeled away. Brian reached the door and opened it.  
He quickly ran into the room and slammed the door behind him.  
"Well," came a raspy voice, "Usually I only accept company by appointment, but it seems you are just too eager to see me."  
Brian looked towards a large desk and could see behind it a large, gray Mook facing the window. One of its eye stalks twisted around to look at Brian.  
"Senior Mook," Brian said.  
"So you've heard of me," Senior Mook said.  
It suddenly jumped from its spot and landed in front of the mayor's desk, fully facing Brian.  
Brian gulped, "I'm here to stop you from terrorizing this town."  
Senior Mook leaned over and stared hard at Brian. It then leaned back and began to let loose with a high pitch cackle.  
Brian felt a bit worse. It was laughing at him. Clearly this was just altogether a bad idea.  
"How foolish you humans can really be!" Senior Mook laughed, "I'm more amused every day by how ignorant you all truly are!"  
It continued to laugh histerically.  
Brian clenched his fists. "That's enough," he said.  
He held out his hands and gathered his strength.  
"PSI Fire Beta!"  
A wall of flames erupted from Brian's hands and raced towards Senior Mook.  
"What!" he gasped.  
The flames hit him and exploded outward. The large window shattered and the desk burned to a crisp. Finally, the flames died down and as the smoke cleared, Senior Mook staggered backwards and looked at himself.  
There was a bad burn mark on his right arm. Senior Mook glared at Brian.  
"How dare you," he hissed, "You will pay dearly for that."  
Brian reached back and gripped his bat. Regardless of how bad this idea was, it was too late to turn back now. 

Porkle's troops erupted from around him and charged at Angela and Kayla.  
"We have to be careful!" Kayla yelled.  
"Right!" Angela said.  
Angela concentrated hard and then leapt into the air as several cyborgs came at her.  
"Cover your eyes, Kayla!" Angela yelled.  
Kayla quickly darted away and shut her eyes tight.  
"PSI Flash Beta!" Angela yelled.  
The park was suddenly lit up by blinding flashes of bright light.  
"Fools!" Porkle roared as he covered his eyes.  
"Can't see!" a cyborg gasped.  
The light died down and Kayla quickly ran towards the cyborgs.  
"PSI Freeze Beta!" she yelled.  
A large mist of freezing air formed in the air and descended down on the cyborgs. They turned and tried to swing at Kayla, but their cybernetic attachments moved too slow. Kayla quickly ran out of their reaching distance.  
Angela came back to the ground and and aimed her hands towards the ground.  
"PSI Mine Blaster Alpha!" she yelled.  
"Mine Blaster?" Porkle echoed.  
Suddenly, several blasts erupted from where Angela's hands were and the blasts went in a straight line towards the group of cyborgs. The blasts knocked them into nearby trees and into each other. Some damaged their cybernetic parts and their circuitry began crackling.  
"Interesting," Porkle said, "I have yet to hear of a PSI power quite like that one. I must make a note of it."  
His robotic eye began taking down notes.  
"Kayla, behind you!" Angela gasped.  
Before Kayla could react, a cyborg wrapped its arms around her. Kayla screamed.  
Angela began to run towards them, but a cyborg landed in her way.  
"Most problematic," he stated, "You must be terminated immediately."  
"Yea?" Angela said, "Terminate this! PSI Wave Alpha!"  
Suddenly, a ball of water formed in Angela's hand and she threw it at the cyborg. The ball of water broke in the air and became a small wave of water which swept the cyborg off its feet. The water also seeped into its circuitry.  
"This... does not... compute!" the cyborg cried as it began to smoke, and then it exploded.  
The cyborg holding Kayla quickly threw her at blinding speed towards a tree.  
Kayla gasped and closed her eyes, "PSI Transparent Alpha!" As she hit the tree, her body suddenly went through it and also slowed down. She landed safely on the ground.  
Porkle's eye continued furiously taking notes.  
Angela quickly ran to Kayla. More of the cyborgs began to move towards them.  
"I have an idea," Kayla said, "We'll combine our best techniques. I think it'll stop them all."  
Angela's eyes lit up, "I think it will too. Let's do it."  
Kayla quickly moved in front of Angela and extended her arms outward.  
"PSI Tornadogenesis Beta!" she yelled.  
Suddenly, the winds around her began to swirl together furiously. She threw her arms forward and a tornado suddenly formed and swept the cyborgs into the air. A few managed to escape and ran over to Porkle, who looked at the tornado is amazement.  
"Now, Angela!" Kayla yelled.  
"PSI Wave Beta!" Angela yelled.  
She held out her hands and two large balls of water appeared.  
"Stop this!" Porkle cried.  
Angela tossed the balls of water at the tornado. They burst and filled the entire tornado with water, making it a water spout. The water drenched the cyborgs, and as they rose higher into the air, they each exploded into bits. The tornado then died down and the water dispersed safely, creating a small shower around the park.  
Porkle continued staring into the sky, his mouth hanging open.  
"Impossible," he mumbled, "They're just little girls."  
"Last chance!" Kayla yelled, "I can easily conjure up another tornado!"  
Porkle glared at Angela and Kayla. A smile then slowly appeared on his face.  
"Well, I must commend you both," he said, "Clearly I have underestimated you. I admit defeat... at least for now."  
He quickly looked at the towering Monotoli Building.  
"The mission here will have to wait for now," Porkle said, "We must skip ahead to the primary objective, but this time, I'd prefer to do it without you meddlesome girls getting in our WAY!"  
Porkle quickly aimed and shot a beam towards Angela and Kayla. They darted away as the beam struck the ground and exploded. The explosion knocked Angela and Kayla off their feet. When they looked up, Porkle and his remaining cyborgs were gone.  
"He got away," Kayla grumbled.  
"We'll find them," Angela assured Kayla.  
Angela quickly leapt into the sky and looked around.  
"They must be moving on foot," Angela said, "Now that they know I can fly, it would be much easier for them to sneak around on the ground."  
"We'll have to ask around then," Kayla said, "Find out if anyone saw a suspicious group moving off fast. As long as we know which direction they're headed, we can catch up to them with my teleportation."  
Angela nodded, "What do you think they wanted with your family's company?"  
"I don't know," Kayla admitted, "But I can't shake this feeling I had when that Porkle guy looked at the Monotoli Building. It's almost like he seemed... familiar."  
Sirens sounded in the distance, and Angle and Kayla could see cops running across the park.  
"The bridge leading out of Fourside destroyed!" one cop yelled, "What are these things up to?"  
"I'm not sure!" another cop yelled back, "But they were last seen continuing east past the Fourside Bridge. We need to alert the police force in Threed!"  
"They're going back to Threed," Angela said.  
"Then so are we," Kayla said, "Come on. Time to teleport." 

The hovering sphere Rygwar sat in moved towards the large screen. His scouter robots were now surveying the disturbance in Fourside. The bridge was out and the girls were preparing to teleport once again.  
Rygwar spun around and looked at another screen showing images from Brindlewood, as Senior Mook glared furiously at the young Brian.  
"What news, master?" Shendi asked, walking in.  
Rygwar glanced at Shendi, and then back at the screen showing Brian.  
"Do you have no sense of announcing your presence!" Rygwar snapped, "I was deep in thought."  
"My apologies," Shendi said, "I merely wanted to make sure the next step was in place."  
Rygwar stared straight ahead and concentrated hard. Shendi walked up towards him and his eyes slowly moved towards the screen from Brindlewood.  
Rygwar's mind then made the connection and his scouter robot in Brindlewood suddenly exploded.  
The screen from Brindlewood then went blank.  
"It would appear your scouter robot has malfunctioned," Shendi noticed.  
"Yes, yes," Rygwar said, "Well, they haven't been fully tested, and besides, I don't really care if those machines fully succeed or not. They're just a temporary convenience."  
"Would you like me to go to Brindlewood and investigate the cause of the malfunction?" Shendi asked.  
"NO!" Rygwar snapped, "Leave these matters to me!"  
Shendi cocked his head slightly, not fully knowing what to say.  
Rygwar looked around and then smiled, "I have a much better assignment for you anyway, Shendi."  
"Yes, master," Shendi replied.  
"Report to Fourside at once," Rygwar ordered, "There are two girls there I want you to keep an eye on. Track them wherever they go, and keep me reported on their activities."  
"Yes, master," Shendi said, "I shall go at once."  
In an instant, Shendi had vanished from Rygwar's side.  
Rygwar looked back at the screen from Brindlewood, which was now dark. He continued to stare at it though as if it was still showing what he saw. Throughout this long process, never before had Rygwar felt this. He never was worried until now. 


	9. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Senior Mook gave off a blood-curdling shriek as it whipped one of its arms toward Brian.  
Brian quickly swung his bat and knocked the arm away. He then quickly ran in to strike Senior Mook.  
Senior Mook wrapped his arm around Brian's bat as he swung though and ripped it away. With one of his legs, he swept Brian's legs out from under him and Brian fell down.  
Brian looked up to see Senior Mook's eyes glow bright yellow. Senior Mook shot out twin beams from his eyes. Brian quickly rolled away. Senior Mook continued firing beams so Brian kept rolling across the room until he was able to dart behind the desk.  
"So you end up hiding in the end," Senior Mook taunted.  
Brian knew he was at the disadvantage here. What he needed was a distraction. He looked out the window and got an idea.  
"PSI Thunder Alpha!" he yelled.  
A bolt of lightning came out of the sky and struck the building. The lights suddenly went out.  
"You missed," Senior Mook retorted.  
Suddenly, a chair crashed into him and he fell over, screaming. Brian had quickly picked up the chair and threw it at him when the lights went out.  
Stunned, Senior Mook struggled to get his feet underneath him so he could stand up. Brian quickly ran over to him and held out his hands.  
"PSI Fire Beta," he murmured.  
"No!" Senior Mook gasped.  
The flames already began encompassing the area and Senior Mook was thrown into the wall.  
Brian quickly grabbed his bat and ran over to Senior Mook. As Senior Mook stood up, Brian struck him across the face with his bat. Senior Mook shrieked as he stumbled across the room, but he managed to snatch Brian's arm with his long tentacle and threw Brian across the room.  
Brian crashed through the window and landed on the ground outside. The glass cut him in several places.  
He stood up and noticed Senior Mook was already in front of him.  
"This will work much better now that we're out of that stuffy office," Senior Mook said.  
He quickly fired a beam which Brian dodged. Senior Mook then swiped at Brian with his arms. Brian knocked one arm out of the way with his bat but the other arm slapped him across the face.  
As skinny as Senior Mook's long arms were, they weren't weak. Brian practically fell over when Senior Mook's arm struck him. Brian turned back around only to have his bat ripped away from him again.  
"You cannot win," Senior Mook said simply, "PSI Brainshock Alpha."  
Brian clutched his head in agony. The pain was overpowering! He couldn't keep his mind focused. Finally, the madness died away, but Brian felt exhausted. He fell down after stumbling for a bit.  
"Look how easily you were affected by my attack," Senior Mook, "Normally it takes more than a Brainshock Alpha for me to take out my foes. You dissapoint me."  
Brian struggled to get up, but his mind was still swimming. For whatever reason, he simply couldn't get his mind to think straight. He noticed several other Mooks had gathered around now and were cheering Senior Mook on.  
"You should give up now," Senior Mook advised.  
Brian stood up. He still felt shaky, but at least he could stand now.  
"Ready for more?" Senior Mook asked.  
Brian raised his hand to the sky. "PSI Fire..."  
"Not this time!" Senior Mook yelled and quickly struck Brian in the face again. Brian flew back in the air and landed hard on the ground. The wind was knocked out of him. He gasped for air.  
"Pitiful human," Senior Mook scolded. He moved over to Brian and picked him up by his legs.  
"No..." Brian moaned.  
"Are you going to plead with me now?" Senior Mook asked, "Are you going to beg for mercy?"  
Brian felt like crying. He knew that wasn't a very manly thing to do but that's all he wanted to do now. He wanted to find his mom, crawl into her lap, and cry.  
Senior Mook tossed Brian away. Brian landed with a thud.  
"I think it's time to finish this," Senior Mook said, "It's time for you to die."  
Brian searched his mind. He needed a way to at least stall Senior Mook for just one second, but how? He thought about Trevor. How exactly did he execute his PSI Repel? A force obviously had to be created with PSI energy and forced out of you at high speeds. Brian searched for the energy within himself. He knew he had to possess it.  
Senior Mook moved closer to Brian as his eyes began to glow yellow.  
Brian kept searching his mind and soul. Finally, he found the energy and he focused its raw natural form to be forced out of him.  
"PSI Repel Alpha!" Brian gasped.  
Suddenly, Senior Mook was lifted off the ground and flew back about ten feet.  
Brian got up and ran. He didn't know what else to do, but he couldn't fight anymore. This wasn't for him. He needed to be home, and he needed to get there fast.  
"Stop!" Senior Mook shrieked.  
Brian continued to run away. Run away from Senior Mook. Run away from the war. 

A bang startled a man shaving in his bathroom in Threed and he cut himself slightly on the cheek. He looked out his window wondering what that was, but could only see two girls walking by. He shrugged and continued to shave.  
"No sign of them," Angela said, looking around.  
"No telling how fast they move either," Karen said, "They may have already been here."  
"But if they were here, don't you think there would be some destruction somewhere?" Angela asked.  
"Probably," Kayla said.  
They walked towards the center of town still looking around for a sign of some sort. That's when Angela noticed it. A figure moving swiftly around the buildings. It wore a big cloak but it moved in a way that wasn't quite human.  
"Look at that," Angela whispered to Kayla.  
Kayla looked at the strange figure.  
"People don't walk like that," Kayla remarked.  
Angela nodded and began to walk after the figure. Kayla followed.  
They followed it towards the cemetary as it shifted around tombstones. It finally came to a sudden stop behind some trees and they could tell it was looking past the tree.  
They followed it's glance and could see what it was looking at. It had found Porkle and the cyborgs. 

Almost human, but not quite.  
The cyborgs all resembled the typical person, but it was obvious that they enhanced all their innate abilities with the help of cybernetic attachments, thus making them more of a threat than your average person.  
These were the notes Elder Mook was making in his mind as he stood behind the trees, hidden and cloaked. His eyes manuevered slowly around the tree so that he could get a better view of the cyborgs, and he focused his sensitive ears in their direction so that he could properly hear what they were saying.  
"Commander Porkle," one of the cyborgs said, "Are we to proceed with the primary objective?"  
"Yes," Porkle replied, "I am just making some adjustments before we continue. Our last battle provided some interesting data for me and I have yet to properly compile it."  
Elder Mook could see why Porkle was the leader. He was taller than the other cyborgs and he also seemed to have the most cybernetic attachments. He appeared to be a complete hybrid: half man, half cyborg. Elder Mook wondered where such a being could have come from.  
"Very interesting indeed," Porkle commented, "These powers those girls posessed. They showed certain potential to be advanced in many ways, but they are not without weaknesses. Next time we meet they shall not be so lucky as to be underestimated again."  
Elder Mook swiveled one of his eyes around. He wondered why two girls had begun to follow him, and now he understood why. They have already encountered the cyborgs, and from the sounds of things, the girls managed to do some damage.  
Elder Mook found this interesting as well and wondered if this could mean what he was thinking.  
"It's time to move out!" Porkle called, "We musn't delay much longer. News of our presence in Fourside may soon leak to other cities. We cannot be discovered prematurely or else we risk failure."  
"Yes, sir!" the cyborgs responded.  
The cyborgs began to move off quickly. Elder Mook waited a few seconds and then left the shelter of the trees to quietly move after them, knowing what he had to do now before it was too late. 

Children. Fragile. It really was as simple as that. For all the potential children may have, they still lack the brute energy to back it up. Therefore, they were weak. They were easily disposed of.  
Shendi understood all of this as he watched Kayla and Angela. They had just left their hiding spot and were following after Elder Mook. Shendi quietly moved through the grass as he kept his eyes on them. He moved in closer and closer with each step.  
Finally, he was merely a few steps behind them, but his uncanny silence kept him hidden still from their curious eyes. Their tender legs continued to step forward and their tiny arms pulled them close to any nearby trees to help them hide.  
After Shendi grew tired of observing them, he deliberately stepped on a branch. The girls spun around, but children can be so slow.  
Shendi gripped the smaller one by the throat and pressed her up against the tree.  
"NO!" the taller one cried.  
"Entrapment Pforce," Shendi whispered.  
The taller girl no longer could move.  
The shorter girl gasped for air as her puny hands tried to push Shendi's firm arm away. Shendi looked deep into her wincing face and into her tearing eyes.  
Her gasps became short choking noises as she gritted her teeth and sweat began to fall down her face.  
Shendi stroked her face with his other hand, wiping up the sweat. He brought his hand to his mouth and licked the sweat.  
She looked at him in horror, but her pupils were shrinking. The vision blurred.  
Shendi slowly grinned as he felt the life draining out of her.  
"STOP IT!" the other girl screamed, "STOP!"  
The girl's grip on Shendi's arm slowly loosened, and then her arms fell limply to her sides. Her teeth slowly moved apart, and her eyes slowly closed.  
Shendi listened to her dying lungs until he could no longer hear them, and then he released his grip and watched her lifeless mass fall to the ground at his feet.  
"NOOOOO!" the other girl screamed.  
She had tears flowing down her cheeks as she struggled still to move despite the fact that it was impossible.  
Shendi turned to the other girl and smiled. He thought of a few different ideas until he decided on one. He held out one hand towards the girl.  
"Dehydrator Pforce," he murmured.  
The girl's eyes went wide with shock, as did the others that Shendi performed this on when they felt the water within them being drained out.  
The girl's limbs began trembling and sweat poured off of her like rain. Her skin began to get parched. Her eyes began rolling around uncontrollably.  
Shendi felt fascination overcome him. He enjoyed this one the most.  
The skin began to crack, causing many cuts to bleed, but the blood too was drying out to be nothing but dust. Her skin turned grayish and her mouth dropped open as she uttered a strained grunt.  
Shendi closed his eyes as the last of the water came out, and then he lifted his Entrapment Pforce to let the dried up body crumble to the ground.  
Shendi looked at the corpses and smiled like a child in a candy store. The sheer fun of it all seemed almost too much to take.  
Yes, this would be the perfect way to do it... in real life.  
Shendi's mind pulled away from his imagination and his eyes rejoined reality as he looked at the girls continuing to follow Elder Mook.  
"Yes..." Shendi slowly whispered, "That would be most invigorating indeed."  
He broke fully out of his trance and continued to follow the fragile, little girls. 

Jeff put the phone to his ear.  
"Tony?" he said.  
"How are you doing, old friend?" Tony asked.  
"I'm doing good," Jeff said, "How did you find me?"  
"I called your lab and Apple Man said you would be at Ness' house," Tony explained.  
"I see," Jeff said, "Well, is there anything wrong?"  
"I suppose you could say that," Tony said, "I received some disturbing news today."  
"What is it?" Jeff asked.  
"I'm afraid that the monster Kraken is alive," Tony reported.  
"Kraken!" Jeff gasped.  
Ness jerked forward in his bed, then winced at the pain it caused from his wound.  
"Yes," Tony confirmed.  
"How can you be sure of this?" Jeff asked.  
"I met a boy who fought with him," Tony said.  
"A boy?" Jeff asked.  
"He said he came over from Raptorland," Tony explained, "He had fought some cyborgs over there and he believes that those cyborgs have come to Eagleland."  
"I see," Jeff said, "Where is he now?"  
"He's heading to Brindlewood," Tony explained, "There is some sort of disturbance up there, and he decided to go. Jeff, I fear that history is repeating itself here."  
"I'm afraid I agree with you," Jeff answered.  
"There's more," Tony said, "While talking with this kid, he mentioned that he was told that he was chosen to fight against this new evil."  
"Chosen..." Jeff repeated as he looked at Mako.  
"I could tell when I looked at him closely," Tony said, "He has the same sort of hidden fire that you had when you left Snow Wood twenty years ago."  
"Then it is true," Jeff said, "As I suspected."  
"I'm not sure what all is happening," Tony said, "But I figured you all would want to know about this."  
"Yes," Jeff said, "This is very helpful. Thank you, Tony."  
"No problem," Tony said, "I'll be keeping in touch with him, so I'll keep you posted. Oh, and his name is Brian."  
"Okay, Tony," Jeff said, "Thanks for the information. It's helped a lot."  
"Bye then," Tony said.  
"Good bye," Jeff said and hung up the phone.  
"There's another one," Ness said.  
"Yes," Jeff confirmed, "His name is Brian, and he came from Raptorland."  
"That's pretty far away," Paula commented.  
Jeff nodded, "All I know right now is that he crossed the sea, fought Kraken in the process, and is now headed off to face something else. Clearly, my theory has a lot more premise than I thought."  
"It's already starting," Ness said, "The new chosen ones have begun their fight."  
"Then I must join with Brian," Mako spoke up, "If he is truly a chosen one, then I must find him and help him."  
"Agreed," Jeff said, "Have you ever been to Brindlewood or Summers, Mako?"  
"I've been to Summers," Mako answered, "Father took me to many places around the world. He said it will be important for me to be able to teleport to as many places as I can."  
"He's definitely prepared you well, then," Ness said.  
"So I shall go to Summers and locate Brian's whereabouts," Mako said.  
"Shouldn't one of us go with him?" Paula asked.  
"No, I believe he will be fine for now," Jeff said, "I need to go back to my lab and do some research. Hopefully I can find out more about what's happening, and you still need to stay here to guard Ness, Paula."  
"Okay," Paula said.  
"Are you ready for your adventure to begin?" Ness asked Mako.  
"I am," Mako replied firmly, "I shall not let you or my father down."  
"Do your best," Ness said, "I have faith in you."  
"Thank you," Mako said.  
He hurried out of Ness' room. Ness let out a small sigh and looked out the window, praying that everything will be all right.  
Mako ran out of the house and picked up speed until a loud crack echoed through the trees, and he was gone. 


	10. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

At least it wasn't snowing, but it was still very cold.  
Robert moved slowly through the dense forest. The ground was covered with some snow and a gnawing breeze blew through the air.  
It didn't help that his clothes were a mess, and he ached a bit now that the adrenaline rush had died down.  
Robert's mind constantly wandered. It's how he kept himself moving. He didn't want to focus too much on the bitter cold. He concentrated instead on the place he just escaped from. That thing that called itself "Supreme Starman".  
He also thought of Shendi, the deadly person he fought back in Berk who came close to killing him. He thought of Sarah, and ached to know what became of her. He thought of Michael, and tried not to think of the torture that he undoubtedly was enduring right now.  
Robert knew he needed to help these people. He knew he had to stand up to Supreme Starman and Shendi and whoever else was out there willing to get in his way, but he lacked any idea as to how.  
Shendi was merely toying with him the whole time. Robert knew that physically, he probably could take Shendi down, but Shendi posessed mental powers to give him the upper hand.  
PSI... or whatever it was that Shendi called it. It didn't matter to Robert. It was a cheap way to win. They were having a fair fight and only because Shendi was outmatched did he resort to his tricks. Robert didn't respect this at all. It was a cowardly move.  
All these PSI users. They all think they can just solve their problems by conjuring up fire or ice. Putting things to sleep or getting into other people's minds. Robert didn't understand it. Things should be settled the way he has learned. There is no honor in PSI. It's just an escape from reality.  
Robert looked up and realized the forest was clearing a bit, and up ahead he could see a building.  
_What is a building doing way out here?_ he wondered.  
Robert walked closer to it and could see it was made out of metal and was shaped sort of like an octagon. It was a strange looking building, but Robert saw it only as a place that could be shelter.  
He staggered up to the door using all the strength he had left and managed to knock on it.  
The door opened and a portly man wearing a lot of red appeared in the doorway.  
"Oh!" he gasped in surprise.  
"...help..." Robert managed to say, and he collapsed onto the threshold. 

He ran out of the town limits and past the rocks he used to hide behind at a time that seemed so long ago now. He didn't notice the eyes of a young Heath watching in dissapointment. It didn't matter to him. Home. That's all that mattered right now. Not this battle. Not this war. This was all wrong. What was right was to be comfortable underneath the familiar sheets of his own bed. That's all Brian wanted right now.  
He reached the edge of the forest and ran into it. Suddenly, a long arm flew out and knocked him back out of the forest.  
Brian scrambled back to his feet and looked ahead. Senior Mook came out of the forest, glaring at him.  
"What a complete coward you really are," Senior Mook marveled, "When you showed up, I thought you were one of them. These chosen ones that the master spoke of. Clearly I was wrong. Clearly you are nothing more than a stupid, scared little boy."  
Brian began to shiver with terror and despair. He lowered his head and tried to fight back the tears.  
"Oh, are you going to cry now?" Senior Mook mocked, "Are you going to cry for mommy?"  
Brian clenched his fists, and as soon as he did, he felt Senior Mook's arms seize him and drag him close to his mouth.  
"As much as you would want it, I can't let you go," Senior Mook said, "You've seen our operation. I can't allow you to share this information with anyone."  
"I won't..." Brian stammered, "I'll... I'll just go and..."  
"No," Senior Mook repeated, "No, you won't."  
He tossed Brian to the ground. Somewhere in his mind, Brian knew he had to get up, but he just didn't want to. He didn't care.  
Senior Mook's eyes glowed yellow and he fired beams. The ground underneath Brian exploded, hurtling him through the air. He grunted as he landed on the ground and rolled over. He looked up and felt his head snap back as Senior Mook's arm struck him in his chin. He fell onto his back.  
"Help me..." Brian muttered to no one.  
Other Mooks gathered around, making a strange clicking sound that sounded like they were cheering.  
Senior Mook picked Brian up by his legs.  
"I want to go home..." Brian mumbled.  
"Oh, I'll send you home all right," Senior Mook promised.  
Senior Mook took his arm and slapped Brian back and forth across the face until his cheeks were beet red.  
"I can't do this..." Brian whispered.  
Senior Mook grinned and then slammed Brian to the ground. Brian felt his nose break, but he couldn't even cry out in pain. He didn't fight back his tears anymore either. It was all pointless.  
"He weeps!" Senior Mook announced, "He is defeated!"  
The Mooks cheered even louder. Heath watched from the forest in horror. This couldn't be happening.  
"Please help..." Brian sobbed, "I don't wanna die..."  
"I'm so sorry," Senior Mook mused, "But you chose this. You chose to come here and to find me. Accept your fate!"  
_Fate..._  
"Accept what has been given to you," Senior Mook continued, "Accept the inevitable."  
_This is your destiny... You have been chosen..._  
"You chose to come here," Senior Mook said, "You chose to die."  
_Chose... Chosen... You are chosen... You are the light..._  
"Now it is time for you to say good bye," Senior Mook said. This time his eyes began to glow blood red.  
_For from out of the renewed darkness, a new light will emerge, taking shape as the six who mean to do harm only to evil and bring good will to all other things_  
"I can't..." Brian choked, "I... can't..."  
_You must! Seek it from within! Bring it out! The light! THE LIGHT!_  
Two death beams formed in Senior Mook's eyes. They began to fire.  
_THE LIGHT!_  
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Brian screamed.  
All around him, it suddenly came. Light irradiated from his spot. Senior Mook stopped his attack. His eyes grew wide, and then wider. Absolute terror filled his being. The surrounding cheers turned to agonizing cries. The light filled the air. It swept through the grass, and then as it had appeared, so to had it vanished, leaving behind the open field, the dense forest, and the stupid, scared little boy passed out. Face in the dirt. 

Porkle approached the border of Threed when he finally sensed it. Something moving swiftly not far behind him. At first he wondered how something could be following him without being detected, but as his brain scanned the information, he realized how it was able to do that.  
Porkle came to a stop and held his hand out.  
"Do you know what I like most about Mooks?" he asked aloud.  
He then spun around and threw the almost invisible energy ball at blinding speed.  
It exploded about twenty yards away and Elder Mook stumbled and fell over.  
"All those legs make you such a clumsy species," Porkle finished.  
Elder Mook quickly stood back up and threw his cloak off.  
"Very good," he complimented, "I wouldn't have expected you to have realized I was here."  
Porkle's eye suddenly picked up new data and he glanced beyond Elder Mook where Angela and Kayla moved slowly behind some trees.  
"So everyone is here then," Porkle said, "I guess we will have to deal with all this now instead of later."  
Porkle's troops quickly got into formation and prepared themselves for battle.  
"What is it you want with us, Mook?" Porkle asked, "And more to the point, how is it that you are even on this planet?"  
"I have been sent to give you a firm message," Elder Mook replied, "My master does not appreciate your existence. You pose a certain threat to his plans. A threat I cannot allow to go on anymore."  
"Your master?" Porkle asked, "Another being like Giygas has arrived then? And what makes you think that matters to anyone?"  
"Do not mock my master," Elder Mook warned, "You cannot begin to comprehend what he is capable of."  
"I comprehend a lot more than you obviously realize," Porkle said, "And as much as my... existence bothers you and your master, I just can't seem to care that much."  
"You will soon enough," Elder Mook said and with that, he charged towards the cyborgs.

"Quiet," Kayla hissed.  
She and Angela peeked out from behind a tree and watched in amazement as Elder Mook charged towards the cyborgs. The cyborgs reared back and then charged towards him.  
Slowly, a purple glow surrounded Elder Mook. Some cyborgs hit it and were thrown backwards while others were seized by Elder Mook's lightning fast arms and slammed together, crumbling their cybernetic parts.  
Porkle watched in surprise.  
"You're better than most Mooks," Porkle commented.  
Elder Mook came to a stop and spun around to face the remaining cyborgs. They aimed their hands at Elder Mook and prepared to fire.  
Suddenly, Elder Mook's arms stretched out and smacked the cyborgs away. He then wrapped an arm around a cyborg and pulled himself over to it. As he came near, a red beam fired out of his eye, exploding the cyborg on contact.  
"He's good," Angela commented.  
"I've seen him before," Kayla said, "When this all started. He was there when Michael was kidnapped, which means he would know where Michael is."  
Angela looked at Kayla's determined face.  
"Whatever happens," Kayla said, "We have to get Elder Mook to talk."  
Porkle's teeth were gritted and his fists were clenched. Only three cyborgs remained from his army of twenty. It was time to step in.  
He ran towards Elder Mook. Elder Mook saw Porkle and stretched one of his arms out to strike, but Porkle suddenly was gone.  
"What's this?" Elder Mook gasped.  
Suddenly, a foot struck the back of Elder Mook's head and he flew forward, crashing into a cyborg. In frustration, Elder Mook took his arms and ripped the cyborg apart.  
Elder Mook felt a sudden heat behind him and pulled himself forward, narrowly missing the scorching beam that then burned a hole into the ground.  
Porkle moved to strike again, and Elder Mook quickly snatched another cyborg and threw it at Porkle.  
Porkle had no choice but to fire at the cyborg and destroy it.  
Elder Mook again swiped with his arm. Porkle dodged out of the way but wound up jumping into the path of Elder Mook's other arm, which knocked him down.  
Elder Mook moved in to fire, but was struck down by the last cyborg.  
Elder Mook quickly spun around, and as his arm swung out, it became electrified and electrucuted the cyborg. It fell to the ground lifeless.  
"That takes care of your little army," Elder Mook said, "Time to end this."

He could smell the aroma of their hair, blowing in the breeeze.  
Shendi smiled in the shadows behind Angela and Kayla. Everything was as he envisioned it. He looked down at the ground and saw a branch. He opened his hand up, ready to grip the girl's throat.  
He raised his foot and began to lower it towards the branch. 

Porkle leapt at Elder Mook and Elder Mook responded by grabbing Porkle in mid air and heaving him over his head and into the trees.  
"Watch out!" Angela gasped.  
She and Kayla ducked as Porkle crashed through a tree. They heard a surprised grunt and two voices yelling as Porkle crashed to the ground.  
Kayla looked and saw Porkle on the ground laying on top of someone else.  
Angela looked and her eyes locked with his. She suddenly had a terrifying feeling.  
"We have to go now!" she shouted.  
Kayla grabbed Angela and began to run.  
"Argh!" Shendi roared. He threw Porkle off of him and leapt to his feet, but the crack told him that it was too late. They had teleported away.  
Shendi turned to destroy the cyborg that landed on him, but it was gone. He looked up and saw that it was soaring away too fast for him to catch up to it.  
Shendi spat on the ground and then punched a nearby tree, putting a clean hole in it. He felt frustrated and unsatisfied.  
He spotted a squirrel nearby and decided that would have to do for now as he gripped the squirrel's tiny throat. 

The screams of agony were music to Supreme Starman's ears.  
"How much longer shall we torture the subject?" a Wild n' Wooly Shambler asked.  
"He attempted to escape," Supreme Starman said simply, "He must learn the price. Besides, we don't have to concern ourselves with any harm we may do to him. The amount of damage to his body won't affect the process any."  
The Wild n' Wooly Shambler nodded in agreement as its two rubbery arms swiveled back and forth.  
"Soon, he and the others will be completely ours," Supreme Starman said, "And with them, we will stand an even greater chance, and even if they do not tip the scales in our favor, I have a feeling that this new trinket of mine will definitely help."  
Supreme Starman laughed as he held the Sword of Kings high above his head. 

The sands on the beach were blown upward as Mako appeared in Summers. He looked around quickly, surveying the area. It appeared safe for now. Now he had to figure out how to find Brian.  
He walked up onto the main road from the beach and noticed a sailor walking past, talking to this woman.  
"Yea, I swear it's the truth," the sailor said, "Big, huge dragon thing! Kraken was his name. Nasty fellow, he was."  
"You there!" Mako called.  
The sailor stopped and looked at Mako.  
"What is it?" he asked.  
"You saw Kraken?" Mako asked.  
"Aye," the sailor replied, "Surely did. Had a run in with him when I took these two boys here from Raptorland."  
"From Raptorland?" Mako asked, "Was one named Brian?"  
"Surely was," the sailor said, "You know him?"  
"Sort of," Mako said, "And what about the other?"  
"Trevor's his name," the sailor said, "Friend of mine. He got hurt pretty badly during the battle."  
"Where is he now?" Mako asked.  
"Hospital," the sailor said, "He didn't look too good, may I say."  
Mako looked around and saw the hospital nearby.  
"Thanks," Mako called and ran off to the hospital.  
He went in and walked over to the nurse's desk.  
"I'm looking for someone named Trevor," Mako said.  
"Are you family?" the nurse asked.  
"Not really," Mako admitted, "but I'm a friend. I know how he wound up here. I wanted to help somehow."  
"Well, I'm not sure if I can let you in," the nurse said, "Doctor's orders."  
"Is there anyway I can see him?" Mako asked.  
"I'm sorry," the nurse said and walked away.  
Mako looked around and noticed a doctor walking nearby. He had a folder opened. Mako noticed the name Trevor on the cover of the folder.  
He quickly followed after the doctor. He was reading the contents of the folder and shaking his head. He then stopped by a door and placed the folder in a file holder outside the door. The doctor then moved on.  
Mako snuck to the door and quickly went inside the room.  
He saw a boy not much older than him lying still in the bed. He was asleep.  
Mako walked over to him and looked at his face.  
"You're mind..." Mako said, "You're in a coma, but there's something else. I've never sensed something like this. There's PSI there, but it's... incomplete."  
Mako looked at the monitors by Trevor's bed and tried to make sense of them.  
"His brain is very weak," he noticed, "But it's all jumbled around."  
Mako looked back at Trevor and stared at him hard.  
"What... are you?" he asked.  
Suddenly, Mako was overcome with a nauseous feeling. His head began to swim. He tried to grab hold of something, but nothing was there. He staggered a bit and then passed out on the floor next to Trevor's bed. 


	11. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

A sweet aroma of bacon aroused Robert from his sleep. He sat up in the bed and looked around. The room was full of machinery. He noticed what looked like a flying saucer in the corner, and across from him was this large device. It read "Revitilization Chamber".  
Robert got out of bed and was surprised to see that he felt completely better again with no injuries from his recent battles. He still was wearing his tattered clothes and his shoes were placed underneath the bed. The smell of bacon filled his nose again and he decided that he was hungry, so he followed the smell.  
"Ah, awake at last," the portly man said, "I'm Apple Man. I figured you'd be hungry once you woke up. You look like you've come a long way."  
"I have," Robert answered, "My name's Robert Montague."  
"Pleased to meet you," Apple Man replied, "Now where did you come from to wind up all the way out here?"  
"Well, I live in Berk," Robert said.  
"Berk?" Apple Man repeated, a bit shaken.  
"I'm not exactly sure where here is either," Robert went on.  
"You're in Winters now," Apple Man said.  
"Winters?" Robert gasped, "In Eagleland?"  
Apple Man nodded, "You're definitely a long way from home."  
"I was hoping I was only taken into the Rusty Mountains," Robert groaned, "I didn't realize they took me so far away."  
"Who are they?" Apple Man asked.  
"I was kidnapped by this guy who calls himself Shendi," Robert explained, "I was being held in some underground complex a bit north from here."  
Apple Man began to have a funny feeling in his throat.  
"Once I came to, I tried to escape with another kid in my cell," Robert went on, "I managed to get out, but this... thing stopped my friend from getting out. He called himself Supreme Starman."  
Apple Man dropped the spatula he had in his hand.  
"What's wrong?" Robert asked.  
"Sorry," Apple Man stuttered, "It's just that I had hoped to never hear the name 'Starman' again."  
"You've seen them before?" Robert asked.  
"Oh, yes," Apple Man replied, "I was held prisoner by one as well. Starman DX. I'll never forget him, or the place I was held, which I fear is the same place you were just held. Tell me, were there strange stone arrangements outside of the complex?"  
"Yes there were," Robert said.  
"Stonehenge," Apple Man said with a shudder, "It's active again. So it's true, something is here invading Earth."  
"Invading?" Robert asked, "Like that alien from twenty years ago? Giygas?"  
"You know your history," Apple Man commented.  
"In Berk, I was trained as part of a military organization," Robert explained, "We were formed to handle situations like this. There are some who worry that something may come to finish what Giygas started."  
"Well, I'm afraid it has," Apple Man said, "I just hope it doesn't go too far this time."  
Apple Man finished cooking the eggs and put them on a plate with some bacon. He put them on the table for Robert.  
"Thanks," Robert said, "It feels like forever since I've eaten."  
"You've been through quite a lot it sounds like," Apple Man said, "We definitely need to find you some new clothes as well. Those things you got on are pretty much ruined."  
Robert nodded as he swallowed some eggs.  
"I'm afraid everything I have would be too big on you," Apple Man said, "I'll have to get some of my friend's clothes. I don't think he'd mind if you borrowed some, and I think you'll be able to fit in them. He's older than you are but you're pretty big for your age and he's pretty skinny so I think it should balance out."  
Apple Man left the room to look for some clothes.  
Robert drank some juice and looked out the window. It had begun to snow again. Robert's mind began to drift some and he got up to look around.  
He went into the next room and saw that there was even more machinery. There was a table with a lot of paper on it. He looked at some, and saw that it was mostly data collected from several experiments. Robert looked over to the wall and his eyes lit up. Many weapons were hanging from hooks. He walked over and looked at them. His eyes eventually rested on a particular one that was long and had a crescent moon as its handle. Robert picked it up and looked at it in amazement.  
"This is a Moon Gaia Weapon," he said, "Out in the open like this?"  
He looked around the room again.  
"Of course," he said to himself, "An old laboratory in the middle of nowhere in the mountains of Winters? This is the lab of Jeff Andonuts."  
"Yes," Apple Man said with a laugh as he walked in, "This is Jeff's place."  
"I had no idea," Robert said.  
Apple Man smiled, "Jeff always was happiest when he was here, tinkering with his inventions. I eventually came to live here with him when I grew tired of Twoson. It's been really nice and peaceful, at least until now."  
Apple Man put a pair of pants and a sweater down in front of Robert.  
"Probably isn't exactly your style, but they'll keep you warm.  
Robert looked at the clothes. They definitely weren't his style, but he wasn't about to be picky.  
"Thanks," Robert said.  
He went back to his room and changed into Jeff's clothes. He tossed his out in the trash.  
A whirring sound then came from the main room and Robert heard what sounded like metal legs being placed down on the floor. He walked out into the kitchen.  
"Welcome back," he heard Apple Man said, "We have company."  
"Company?"  
Jeff walked into the kitchen and looked at Robert.  
"This is Robert Montague," Apple Man introduced, "Robert? Jeff Andonuts." 

Angela and Kayla slowed down as the teleportation ended.  
"That was close," Angela gasped, "I'm not sure who that other guy was, but he obviously had been following us, and I just got the worst feeling after looking at him."  
"I know what you mean," Kayla said, "He was definitely bad news. Worse than that Porkle or Elder Mook by far."  
"Where'd you bring us anyway?" Angela asked.  
"Twoson," Kayla said, "I figured we should come here. Before that whole mess with Elder Mook happened, Porkle was about to head this way. In case he gets away from Elder Mook, I wanted to beat him here."  
"Good thinking," Angela said, "What do you think is going on here though?"  
"I'm not sure," Kayla said, "I get a bad feeling about it."  
"That was a Mook," Angela said, "I know all about them, and they haven't been seen here since the war with Giygas."  
"Do you think that means something else is here in place of Giygas?" Kayla asked.  
"I think it's possible," Angela said, "What do you think we should do?"  
"I still need to find Michael," Kayla said, "Elder Mook will know where he is, but I want to stop Porkle too. He's definitely up to something, and I just don't like it."  
"Well, I'm sorry to be such a bother to you, Miss Monotoli," came a booming voice.  
Kayla and Angela turned around to see Porkle standing before them.  
"Yes, I got away," Porkle said, "And I see you two did as well and just happen to be where I was headed again. You wouldn't be trying to follow me, would you?"  
"What if we are?" Kayla asked.  
Porkle smiled, "You are a brave, little thing. Either that or you're very foolish."  
Kayla stared hard at Porkle. Again there was something about him she recognized, but she had never seen a cyborg before. Where was it that she's seen someone that resembled him?  
"If you two are going to insist on following me, then I guess we will have to have this out right now," Porkle said, "After all, I cannot have my primary mission disrupted. I simply cannot allow it."  
"And what is that mission if it's so important?" Angela asked.  
"You'll have to try better than that to get me to start talking," Porkle laughed, "But for what it's worth, you don't have to worry about what I have planned. You just need to worry about the danger you're in right now."  
Porkle reares his hands back, and thrusted them forward. Twin energy beams fired at Angela and Kayla.  
"PSI Shield Epsilon!" Angela yelled.  
A bluish shield formed around Angela and Kayla. The beams hit them and were absorbed by its energy.  
"Lucky," Porkle said, "Guessing that my powers derive themselves from the same energies as PSI. I guess I have to do this the old fashioned way."  
Porkle began to walk towards Angela and Kayla, and the girls readied themselves for the battle as Kayla continued to wonder why Porkle was so familiar to her. 

Mako slowly opened his eyes. Wherever he was, it was fairly dark, and he felt like he was just floating around. He could hear a strong wind from far away, and something moved nearby.  
"Hello?" Mako called, "Who's there? Where I am?"  
"There is no need to be frightened," a soothing voice said, "I am not your enemy and I mean you no harm."  
"Who are you?" Mako asked.  
"I'm afraid I cannot answer that right now," the voice said, "What I can tell you though is that I am here as a guide. You have begun quite an adventure. An adventure most people your age cannot handle."  
"I am ready for it," Mako answered.  
"Yes, I do not doubt that," the voice answered, "It is why you've come to Summers. It is why your mind eventually led you to this room where this young boy sleeps."  
Mako could suddenly see Trevor hovering nearby in the same bed asleep.  
"Who is he exactly?" Mako asked, "He's different. His mind..."  
"Yes," the voice answered, "He is unlike most humans. On most levels, he is as typical as everyone else, but there is part of him that is forever changed."  
"His PSI isn't natural," Mako guessed, "It was given to him, or forced upon him."  
"It was implanted in him," the voice answered, "He was captured not long ago and experimented on, but the experiments appeared to go wrong. They were to execute him, and they believe that they have, but I saved him. I sent him on a mission to find one who posessed natural PSI powers. He found the boy and brought him here, but during the fight with Kraken, he was forced to exert his PSI past a level that his mind can handle, and now his mind is broken. Trapped within itself."  
"Can anything be done for him?" Mako asked.  
"That has yet to be decided," the voice said, "However, you need not worry about his well-being. You have chosen to be among the elite. The chosen to fight the coming evil. You were led here so that you may learn even more."  
"How are we supposed to fight this evil?" Mako asked.  
"The way will be discovered," the voice said, "And you will help the others find the way, and I am here to help you begin. Accept that which lies deep inside you. Awaken the power within!"  
Mako felt a strange tingling inside of him. Suddenly, he felt his mind open up and the world become known to him.  
"You have the power to sense those around you," the voice said, "Use it to find the one you seek. Good luck in your quest. I am sure we will meet again."  
With that, Mako found himself back in the hospital room with Trevor sleeping beside him.  
Mako felt so alive. More alive than ever before. He could feel those around him. He could feel Ness and Paula, and then he could feel the faint power a bit north from where he was. It was Brian, and Mako had to go to him at once. A column of smoke rose around Mako, and he was swept up in it. He floated into the air and vanished with a slight 'poof'! 

The Wild n' Wooly Shamblers shifted through the dark hallways and approached the large doorway.  
"Enter," Rygwar said loudly.  
They entered the room and approached their master.  
"Report," Rygwar ordered.  
"They have all been located," the head Wild n' Wooly Shambler said, "Four of the ones you have chosen are already on their way to their locations."  
"Which leaves Georg, Shendi, Supreme Starman, and Elder Mook," Rygwar said, "I will dispatch them soon. Excellent work. You are dismissed."  
"Yes, master," the Wild n' Wooly Shamblers replied and they left the room.  
Rygwar spun around in his hover craft and smiled.  
"Soon, phase three will be under way," Rygwar said aloud with excitement, "It won't be long now. The beginning of the end approaches sooner than anyone thinks! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..." 


	12. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Paula dipped the dinner plate into the hot water as she scrubbed it with a sponge. She pulled it out and looked at it. The caked on food no longer deformed the shininess of the plate. Satisfied, Paula turned on the faucet and rinsed the plate until all the soap was washed away. She took a towel and dried the plate. She then handed the plate to Christian, who put it on the table with the other dishes.  
Christian looked at the table full of clean plates, bowls, and utensils. He smiled as he looked at a spoon. He stared at it awhile, and slowly the spoon rose from the table. Christian couldn't hold back a slight giggle.  
"Christian," Paula said sternly.  
Christian looked quickly to his mother as the spoon fell to the table with a clinking sound.  
Paula smiled a bit to herself as she continued washing the rest of the plates.  
Christian was two years old when Paula and Ness first saw it. It was Christmastime, and they were handing a present to Christian when he said he wanted to see a bigger one that sat under the tree. As he spoke, the larger present rose and floated to him. Paula looked at Ness, thinking he had done it, but Ness' expression told Paula he was surprised as well.  
So far Paula was unsure what specialties Christian would develop. Up until now, they have only seen some basic PSI powers. There was the time when Christian put the neighbor's cat to sleep for half a day. Another time Paula felt a tiny tingle throughout her body which she realized was PSI energy flowing out of her and towards Christian. Paula has since been able to explain to Christian why he can't use PSI Magnet whenever he wants to.  
Paula slowly closed her eyes as she became lost in her memories as well as her continuing worry for Ness. If for no other reason, she wanted him better just for Christian's sake. She wanted Ness to be healthy when Christian learned more powers. Paula knew she was about Christian's age when she learned PSI Freeze, and Ness said he was only five when he discovered a certain affinity for electricity. More than anything, Ness needed to be better for Christian. That was more important than everything else.  
A soft breeze blew through Paula's long hair and she snapped out of her daydream. Her mind could sense it. Some entity had just transported itself into their house, but in a way she could not recognize. She took off her dish gloves and hurried up the stairs towards Ness' room. She almost gasped when she entered.  
Next to Ness' bed floated an old man. He wore a white robe and a white turban on his head. Paula recognized him from Ness' descriptions even though this was her first time seeing him.  
"Paula," Ness said, "This is Talah Rama."  
"Of course," Paula answered, "It is an honor to meet you."  
"The honor is all mine," Talah Rama replied, "To behold the wisdom and the faith that you possess. A faith so strong that it united the Earth in defeating the evil Giygas."  
"I am only glad that the others were so strong as to help us," Paula said, "We barely survived that ordeal."  
"I can tell where you are going," Talah Rama interjected, "You fear the survival of the planet now that history is doomed to repeat itself."  
Paula nodded in silence.  
"I can't say that I don't share her worry," Ness said, "It sounds as though the forces of evil have everything going the way they want it."  
"Yes, they appear to have won the opening rounds," Talah Rama admitted, "But as you have shown in the past, Ness, the only victory is the lasting one."  
"It's far from over," Paula said, "Much can happen from now until the end."  
"Ah, but is it even the end?" Talah Rama challenged, "Or merely another beginning?"  
"We're hoping for a new beginning," Ness said.  
"Hope delivers the courage that brings the solution," Talah Rama answered, "but you are losing the hope."  
Ness lowered his head as he glanced at his wound.  
"It's just hard knowing I can't do anything to help," Ness said, "but... you can help, can't you, Talah Rama?"  
Talah Rama slowly cocked his head.  
"Please say that you can," Ness said, "I can't just sit here all the time."  
"And what is it you want to do?" Talah Rama asked.  
"I want to help," Ness said, "We just sent Mako out there to do this all on his own. I know there are probably others to help him out, but I know that I am capable of helping if only I could."  
Talah Rama slowly unfolded his legs and lowered himself to the ground. He walked over to Ness and looked at Ness' bandage.  
With a wave of his hand, the bandage slowly lifted painlessly off of Ness, revealing the naked wound underneath.  
"The natural healing has begun," Talah Rama said, "The deep cut that Supreme Starman touched you with has begun to repair itself."  
"But it's too slow," Ness said.  
"Yes, the natural world does appear slow at times," Talah Rama replied, "This touch of evil has blocked the swifter PSI methods from helping."  
"Is there anything you can do?" Paula asked.  
Talah Rama closed his eyes and held out his hand. A white glow emitted from him and encompassed Ness. Ness felt strangely calm as a cooling sensation passed through his body. Ness closed his eyes and could see the stars as though it were nighttime. Some lit up brightly, as though they were guiding him somewhere.  
Ness moved forward and followed the path of the stars. They slowly came together as one, and shined brightly. All at once, the light faded and a figure appeared. Ness gasped and his eyes snapped open. The white glow faded from Talah Rama as he stepped away from Ness.  
Ness realized he was panting and sweat was dripping down his forehead.  
"What happened?" Paula asked.  
"I saw..." Ness stuttered, "I saw... him."  
"Who?" Paula asked.  
"He who is here to do the greatest of harms," Talah Rama answered.  
"It was... weird," Ness said, "I couldn't make out what it was really. I could see eyes. Orange eyes. And a blade I think. I couldn't tell if it was some sword or... something else."  
Paula wondered to herself as well what it could mean since she was accustomed to cryptic visions.  
Ness then looked down at his wound and gasped.  
"It was as much as I could do," Talah Rama said, "Unfortunately, even I have limits against the power used to inflict that injury."  
Ness' wound wasn't as scabby as before. It looked almost fully healed, but it was still slightly tender. You could see a scar forming underneath.  
"I do feel much better," Ness said, "Before I felt almost drained. Like I had no energy at all."  
"I'm sure the wound was designed to impugn against your PSI as well as your physical body." Talah Rama guessed.  
"Thank you," Ness said, "Thank you for coming and helping. I'm sure I'll be ready to help out now in a couple days."  
"Despite all other things," Talah Rama said, "Do not fret too much over those who wander. They are making better strides than you know."  
"Mako?" Ness said, "Do you know something?"  
"He is making progress," Talah Rama replied simply, "Now I must be leaving."  
"Thank you, sir," Paula said, "I can't tell you how much this means to us."  
"I have seen it," Talah Rama said with a smile, "And I may yet see it... again. Farewell and good fortune."  
"And you as well," Ness said.  
Talah Rama slowly rose into the air. He folded his legs and faded away.  
Ness sat up and moved to the edge of his bed.  
"Don't try to rush things," Paula said.  
"Don't worry," Ness said, "I feel much better, but I won't overdo it. I just need to stretch now that I'm able."  
Christian walked in the door.  
"Daddy's better?" he asked.  
"You bet, sport," Ness said, "Your dad can't be beaten that easily."  
"Yeah!" Christian cheered.  
Paula exhaled and smiled. _Thank you for bringing Ness back to Christian,_ she thought silently.  
She left the room and returned to the kitchen to finish washing the plates. 

It was as if no time had passed. Mako was standing in the hospital room next to Trevor, and now he stood in an open field.  
He wasn't sure where he was, but as he looked around he could tell there was a fight. He identified the remains of a creature as a Mook.  
"What happened here?" Mako asked aloud.  
He heard a faint whimper and looked up towards a tree. A boy was standing behind it looking at him.  
"It's okay," Mako said, "I won't hurt you."  
Mako walked over to the boy. "Who are you?"  
"Heath," the boy answered meekly.  
"Did you do this?" Mako asked, "Are you... are you the one I'm looking for?"  
"It was... so bright," Heath said, "I thought he was dead, and then it was just... so bright."  
"I don't understand," Mako said, "Are you talking about someone? Something?"  
"The mooks," Heath said, "They were going to kill, but now they're just all... dead. All dead, and..."  
"Go on," Mako urged.  
"I was... afraid to touch him," Heath said, "I think he's dead too."  
Heath's eyes suddenly darted across the meadow. Mako spun around to look. He could see another boy lying on the ground.  
Mako ran over to him and knelt on the ground beside him.  
Heath slowly walked over as well. "Is he then?" Heath asked, "Is he dead?"  
Mako held out his hands over the boy and uttered, "PSI Lifeup Beta!"  
The grass around the boy blew outwards a bit as the energy flowed into his body. Slowly, his arm moved.  
Heath let out a sigh of relief.  
Suddenly, the boy jerked himself up in a panic.  
"Don't kill me!" he cried, "Please don't!"  
"It's okay," Mako said.  
"I don't want to die!" the boy yelled, "Please!"  
"Hey!" Mako yelled and he grabbed the boy's shoulders.  
The boy gasped and looked at Mako in terror.  
"You aren't going to die," Mako assured him, "The mooks are gone."  
"G-gone?" the boy said, "But how? Why would they leave?"  
"They didn't leave," Mako said as he looked over his shoulder.  
The boy followed his gaze and saw the remains of a mook.  
"They're all dead," Mako said.  
"You... came?" the boy asked, "You killed them?"  
"I only just got here," Mako said, "They were already dead."  
"Don't you remember, Brian?" Heath suddenly chimed in, "It was you. You killed them all yourself!"  
"Brian?" Mako said, "That's your name?"  
Brian slowly nodded as he stared ahead in confusion.  
"How did I kill them?" he asked.  
Mako looked at Heath.  
"I told you," Heath said, "I could only see light. I don't know what happened."  
"But..." Brian stuttered, "It couldn't have been me. I was... dead. Senior Mook had me and was going to kill me. I couldn't do anything to stop it."  
"Well, it appears that you did," Mako said.  
"No," Brian said, "Somebody else... somebody else must have come."  
"No one came," Heath said, "Unless they did after you gave off the light."  
"I gave off a light?" Brian asked.  
"Yeah," Heath said, "Senior Mook was standing over you, and you just suddenly gave off this intense light."  
_For from out of the renewed darkness, a new light will emerge_  
Brian slowly stood up and looked at himself.  
"I just... couldn't have," he muttered.  
"Look, whatever did happen, we have to move forward," Mako said, "I'm here to help. My name is Mako."  
He held out his hand and Brian slowly shook it.  
"You're here to help me?" Brian asked.  
"Yes," Mako said, "As I'm sure you already know, something is here on Earth. A force that wishes to destroy us all. I just came from seeing Trevor."  
"Trevor!" Brian gasped, "Is he awake?"  
"Sadly, no," Mako said, "But I know what it is he told you to do, and I'm here to help do the same thing."  
"I don't even understand half of this," Brian said, "I... I just don't know what to do."  
"Well, let me explain," Mako said, "Because I was brought here to you, so obviously you are part of all of this. I'll tell you what is going on, and then we both will work to stop it."  
Brian looked away. The last thing he remembered was wanting to go home, and now here he was, standing with this other boy and all the mooks were dead. On top of that, Brian apparently was the one who killed them.  
Brian's head told him to go home. It was yelling at him to go home actually, but what his mouth said was "Right. Tell me what's going on then."

Shendi traversed through the dark hallways until he came to a large doorway. He pressed his palm to a plate beside the door and it opened.  
Shendi walked in to see Georg standing by Rygwar. "That is excellent, my lord," Georg said.  
"Report to the designated location," Rygwar ordered, "And if you happen to encounter any... opposition, see to it that it's taken care of."  
"Yes," Georg replied. He quickly turned around as his long cloak rippled in the air.  
"The failed assasin returns," Georg replied.  
"I hardly think you are in a sufficient position to so eagerly cast stones, Georg," Shendi answered.  
"I'm at least able to maintain my composure when doing what is asked of me," Georg replied.  
Shendi let out a low growl.  
"That will be enough!" Rygwar snapped, "There are bigger things going on here and I lack the time to stand here watching you two ruffians trade insults!"  
"My apologies, master," Georg said, "I will be on my way then."  
Georg walked slowly out of the room, exchanging a cold glance with Shendi on the way.  
"Come forward!" Rygwar yelled.  
Shendi jerked out of his trance and walked up to Rygwar.  
"I don't suppose you have a reasonable explanation for your current performance?" Rygwar asked.  
Shendi glanced away.  
"All I told you to do was to go and observe the activity concerning the girls and those cyborgs," Rygwar continued, "I merely wanted a report on what they were doing, but thanks to your daydreaming both the cyborg and the girls are somewhere out there and I lack any additional information."  
"Begging your pardon, sir," Shendi said, "But it would appear to me that if I had not been hit when Elder Mook threw that cyborg, I would not have lost track..."  
"Silence!" Rygwar boomed, "I did not ask for your personal opinion of the matter. You should not even have been that close to the girls in the first place. Even if the cyborg had not landed on you, those girls may have noticed you by some other means."  
"I am capable of keeping my presence a secret," Shendi said confidently.  
"You underestimate the true powers that can be posessed by the humans," Rygwar criticized, "Giygas did the same and now Giygas is dead. Do you wish to be dead, Shendi?"  
"No, sir," Shendi answered.  
"Then kindly obey my future orders and stop with these meaningless side quests that you get yourself distracted on," Rygwar said sternly.  
"I will do my best, my lord," Shendi said, "If you wish, I could go and see what exactly happened to Senior Mook's army. I sensed the power that came from the fight."  
"We aren't in a game where you can go investigate things that spark interest in you," Rygwar stated, "That situation is already being looked into. You are to go to the depths of Deep Darkness. The time has finally come for the next step."  
"Yes," Shendi answered.  
"Now go," Rygwar said, "And tread carefully. I will be keeping a close watch on you from now on."  
Shendi nodded and walked out. He paused outside Rygwar's chamber and felt something. He thought it was some form of anger. He soon shook it off though and continued on his way. 

Kayla held out her hands and yelled, "PSI Freeze Beta!"  
A large mist of freezing air flew through the air towards Porkle.  
As Porkle ran towards the mist, he held out his hand and a red glow radiated from his hand.  
As the mist hit his hand, it turned to steam as it was heated by Porkle's heated hand.  
Angela and Kayla gasped and quickly jumped out of the way as Porkle came charging past.  
"You will soon see that I am much more capable than the clumsy cyborgs you have already faced," Porkle promised.  
He turned around and snatched Angela's arm.  
"Hey!" Angela gasped.  
Porkle quickly swung her around and tossed her away. Angela landed with a thud on the ground.  
"That was a mistake!" Kayla yelled, "PSI Tornadogenesis Beta!"  
The air around Porkle quickly began to blow in a tight circle as the cyclone erupted upwards.  
Porkle tried to move to get out of its path, but it was too late and he was lifted up into the air.  
"Angela, now!" Kayla yelled.  
Angela got to her feet and reared back her hands.  
"PSI Wave Beta!" she yelled as the two balls of water formed and she threw them to the small tornado.  
Porkle glanced down with anxious eyes as the water struck the tornado and quickly filled the cyclone with water.  
"That'll show him!" Kayla said triumphantly.  
The tornado slowly died down and the water fell out as a light drizzle.  
"What!" Angela gasped.  
As the girls looked up, they saw the figure of Porkle appear from the dissipating water.  
"I'm sorry," Porkle said, "But were you under the assumption that your little trick had worked against me? How sad for you."  
"Guess we'll have to find another way," Kayla mumbled.  
She searched her mind but wasn't sure of anything else that would have much of an effect. Her freeze beta was the strongest attack she had. The tornadogenesis had its advantages, but it only helped alot when combined with Angela's water beta.  
Kayla quickly flashed back to when they realized they could do that. Angela had had her water power for some time now when Kayla developed a specialty to controlling the wind. Angela had wondered if they could create a water spout and they tried it out. Unfortunately, they did get into trouble afterwards because they decided to try this while standing in Kayla's living room.  
"I'm growing bored here," Porkle said, snapping Kayla out of her flashback, "I have better things to do, and I don't feel like wasting anymore time with you two little piggies."  
"Any ideas, Kayla?" Angela asked.  
But Kayla didn't answer. Another memory suddenly entered her head. She was a lot younger, and she was listening to her parents talking with her grandfather, Gelgerade Monotoli. They were talking about the time when Kayla's grandfather almost lost the company. Back when he fell under the influence of evil.  
Porkle landed on the ground in front of Angela and Kayla.  
"As interested as I am in continuing this fight, Miss Monotoli, I really don't feel like delaying my own agenda any longer. I must be visiting an old friend by now. You can wait until later."  
"Why are you interested in me at all!" Kayla yelled, "I haven't done anything to you!"  
"Guess I just... dislike your ugly name," Porkle replied.  
Kayla's mind traveled to the past again. She remembered her Grandfather's words. His story of the tragedy. Of his encounter with members of the Chosen Four. Of a certain... employee he once had.  
"Bye bye," Porkle said, "You stupid little pig's butts."  
Kayla knew now. She was somewhat surprised, but as she stared closely at the human features, she could notice a faint resemblence.  
"I know who you are," Kayla said.  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Porkle said, "You already know I am Porkle."  
"No," Kayla said, "That's not your real name."  
"Very amusing, girl," Porkle said, "And I suppose you are going to tell me what my real name is?"  
"Yes," Kayla said, "It's Pokey Minch." 


	13. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"So that is about as much as I am aware of so far," Mako said, "This new force is definitely an alien, and I suspect it's linked to Giygas since many of the same creatures are here as well."  
"Supreme Starman..." Brian said, "He definitely sounds like one of the biggest threats."  
"I will rise to defeat him," Mako declared, "In honor of my father."  
Brian wasn't sure what to say. Mako appeared to be too proud and brave to accept him simply saying "sorry". He was so ready and almost eager to head out and face these enemies. Brian wondered how a kid manages to function like that.  
"So do you have any ideas of what we should do now?" Brian asked.  
"The best thing I can figure is to try and gather as much information as we can," Mako said, "You said there were prisoners in that village? Maybe some of them would know something useful."  
"My dad might!" Heath exclaimed, "He's the mayor. The mooks had him and the others locked in the prison cells."  
"Well, we better head off to free them then," Mako said.  
"Right," Brian answered.  
The three headed back into town. Heath led them to the prison building and they went in.  
"Heath!" an old man called from a cell.  
"Hi, Dad!" Heath called, "I brought help with me. This guy here saved us from the Mooks."  
Everyone in the cell exchanged looks and gasps and they gazed upon Brian. Brian soon felt very uncomfortable and wanted to leave.  
"Let's just get the keys and let them out," Brian said hurriedly.  
"The keys are over there in that drawer," the mayor instructed.  
Mako went to the desk and retrieved the keys. He went around and let everyone out of the cells. The people expressed their thanks as they welcomed freedom once again.  
"We are all deeply within your debt," the mayor beamed, "Please, anything we can do to help you. Just ask,"  
"Well," Brian said, "I guess we need to know if you know anything about what those Mooks were doing here."  
"Well, they did tend to talk very fast when they talked to each other," the mayor said, "Whenever I tried to listen to them, I only picked up a few things here and there. From what I could understand, it sounded like they were here to begin enslavement. They mentioned a master and that he wanted things under control for the next step."  
"The next step," Mako said, "I wonder what he could be planning."  
"I'm sorry, but that's all I really know," the mayor said.  
"That's all right," Mako answered, "I'm sure it won't take long for the enemy to surface again, especially after Brian wiped out part of his army."  
Brian once again shifted uncomfortably.  
"I suppose we should be heading off then," Mako said, "We need to figure out what our enemy is up to before he strikes again."  
"Thank you again for everything," the mayor said, "Oh, and on your way out, do you think you can take care of this little mice problem the prison seems to have developed?"  
"Mice!" Brian exclaimed, "That's right. Their mother is in the forest. She asked me to find them. They're exit mice."  
"Good," Mako said, "We'll get them on the way out."  
"Bye," Heath said, "And good luck!"  
Mako nodded his head and Brian gave a faint grin.  
On their way out, Mako spotted the mice in the corner.  
"We can bring you back to your mother now," Mako said.  
"Thank you," one of the mice said, "We got caught up in all of that mess and couldn't leave without being caught."  
Brian and Mako took one mouse each and left Brindlewood. Brian led the way back into the forest and to the mother mouse's home.  
"My sons!" she exclaimed as they came up, "Thank you so much for bringing them back to me!"  
"You're welcome," Brian said, "I'm glad we could help."  
"Maybe I can help too," the mother said, "I gather the two of you are going to be fighting this new alien that's come to Earth."  
"We will try at least," Brian said.  
"We are," Mako corrected.  
"Perhaps then you should take the road north from here," the mother explained, "Legend says there's a wise figure beyond the northern borders of this forest. He may be able to help you more."  
"Thanks," Mako said, "We'll head that way at once."  
"Take care," the mother said.  
"Bye!" the two mice chirped.  
Brian and Mako waved bye and left.  
"There's the path leading north," Mako said, "If we hurry, we can reach the edge of the forest by sundown. Hopefully, this wise person lives in another village where we can rest for the night. By tomorrow, we will hopefully have something to go on in the coming fight."  
"Uh, yeah," Brian said lowly, "Great."  
"You don't seem to be that into this," Mako noticed.  
"It's just a little overwhelming," Brian admitted.  
"Well, it's bound to get more overwhelming," Mako commented, "So I suggest you get yourself more into the fight before going much further."  
"I'm doing the best I can," Brian said, "And besides, since I apparently was able to defeat all those Mooks, I must be somewhat capable."  
Brian didn't mean to sound that defensive, but he couldn't help feeling offended by Mako's words.  
"I'm sure you are capable," Mako said, "But we'll need more than last minute acts of desperation to win this war."  
"Fine," Brian said shortly, "Let's just go."  
Brian quickly started down the path as Mako slowly followed. 

Kayla could tell by "Porkle"'s sudden expression of shock and rage that she was right.  
"What did you say?" he growled.  
"Pokey Minch?" Angela gasped, "That's the kid who allied himself with Giygas to take down Ness! He hasn't even been seen since Giygas' defeat!"  
"Well, he's here now," Kayla said, "That's him."  
"I do not know what you are talking about," Porkle said uneasily.  
Angela stared closely at him and her eyes widened. "Yes, I can tell," she said, "Only slightly, but the features of his face that are still human look like Pokey."  
"I am NOT Pokey Minch!" Porkle erupted.  
He quickly leapt at Kayla, gripping for her throat.  
"Shield Alpha!" Kayla gasped.  
Porkle was pushed back by Kayla's barrier.  
"You must be him," Kayla said, "Otherwise you wouldn't be getting this upset."  
"But what happened to him?" Angela wondered, "He... he completely mutilated himself."  
"I have become something more than human!" Porkle yelled, "I am superior!"  
"Then it's true," Kayla pressed.  
"Fine!" Porkle snapped, "It's true! I am Pokey Minch reborn!"  
"You're crazy is what you are," Angela commented.  
"Do not push me even more, little girl," Pokey warned, "I am not so forgiving as you may think."  
"It's actually pretty hard to believe you are Pokey," Kayla said, "From what I heard, he was pretty cowardly."  
"Shut up!" Pokey roared, "What do you know about it! The old Pokey is gone! Now witness what I have become!"  
Pokey held his hands up and brought them down. All of a sudden, Angela and Kayla could see his power radiating from him. The air around him seemed to become electrified. And then the ground began to shake. All around Twoson, people were shocked from their normal activity as they got thrown here and there by the vibrations.  
"Stop it!" Angela cried, "You'll bring down the whole town!"  
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Pokey cackled.  
"That does it!" Kayla yelled, "We have to stop this now!"  
She ran at Pokey. She wasn't even sure what to do exactly, but she knew he had to be stopped. She crouched down low and leapt straight at him. She hit him and the two of them went falling to the ground.  
"Fool!" Pokey raged, "I'll kill you with one blow!"  
"PSI Bubble Alpha!"  
Suddenly, this clear sphere surrounded Pokey.  
"What is this?" Pokey gasped.  
"That should keep you still for a minute," Angela said, lowering her hands.  
"Interesting," Pokey mused, "A prison of sorts. Yes, very interesting indeed."  
Angela helped Kayla up. "We have to figure something out," Angela said.  
"I know," Kayla replied, "I just don't know what to do anymore. We aren't good enough for this."  
Angela lowered her head, and then a thought occurred to her.  
"We should go get help from them," she said.  
"Them who?" Kayla asked.  
"The Chosen Four," Angela said.  
Just then, Pokey broke through the bubble.  
"Nobody can help you now!" he crowed.  
He quickly struck the two girls in the head. They let out soft gasps and fell to the ground, unconscious.  
"Stupid brats," Pokey spat, "They actually think they're worth something. How sad for them. Well, I can't stay here much longer. Off I go!"  
Pokey lifted off into the air, and flew away, leaving the helpless girls in the grass below. 

Rygwar floated around his room in his special chair. His mind wandered here and there, and it finally settled down... somehwere in the past... 

"This is foolish, Giygas," Rygwar crticized, "There is no way you can predict the consequences."  
"There is also no way to achieve what is rightfully ours by sitting back and watching, Rygwar," Giygas argued, "We have to take steps to make sure we can personally make our ambitions a reality."  
"But this..." Rygwar said, "This... blasphemy! You would sentence us to abandon everything we believe in?"  
"How else are we going to win this? Please tell me!" Giygas answered.  
"I can tell you that we are not so desperate yet as to turn our backs on our ancestors. We are a proud and noble race, Giygas. What you're proposing is out of the question!"  
"Look at us!" Giygas snapped, "We are both young by our standards and we have trouble walking around. It won't be long until we too will be confined to a hover unit. Is that any less blasphemous?"  
"You can't compare that to what you're speaking of," Rygwar replied, "You simply cannot expect the populace to accept this course of action."  
"My mind is made up, Rygwar," Giygas insisted, "And you know you can't stop me. Enough of us have suffered already because of our personal disagreements."  
"You cannot so easily place all the blame on me," Rygwar fumed, "Not when the blood stains your blade as well."  
"I am merely making a point," Giygas said lowly, "Too many have suffered, and this is the only way out."  
"Do what you must," Rygwar said, "Just know that I disapprove, and once you do this, you are no longer my brother."  
Giygas looked deeply into Rygwar's eyes.  
"I stopped being your brother long before this, Rygwar," Giygas answered.  
Giygas turned and left the room. Rygwar let out a sigh and retired to his own chambers. 

"Sir!"  
Rygwar snapped out of his trance and looked up.  
"This had better be good," Rygwar warned.  
"Almost everyone is in place, my lord," the mook reported, "Soon we will be ready."  
"Good," Rygwar said, "Tell them to hurry. Things are getting more serious on Earth. I don't want any of them progressing much further. The target must be eliminated soon."  
"Yes, my lord," The mook answered and left.  
"Soon, Giygas," Rygwar said, "From your grave you will soon see why I was right, and your rotted corpse will stir with humility before the mighty Rygwar!"

The gadgets beeped and the sensors made clicking noises.  
"I'm afraid it is as we feared," Apple Man said, "They must have been able to mask it until now."  
"Stonehenge is active again," Jeff said, "It is as I suspected."  
"The base of operations for the Starmen," Robert said from the corner, "I have heard stories of the horrors that go on beneath the surface."  
"Trust me, none of those stories over-exaggerated," Jeff said grimly.  
"As I have seen," Robert said, "That poor boy I had to abandon is still trapped down there."  
"Indeed it does seem that the place you spoke of being held was indeed Stonehenge," Jeff answered, "I suppose no further proof is needed. We are being invaded."  
"What should we do, Jeff?" Apple Man asked, "Should we get in contact with Ness and Paula?"  
"Ness is still healing," Jeff said, "I can't imagine he'll be in any shape to face these new enemies anytime soon."  
"But if Ness can't do it, is there anyone who can?" Apple Man asked.  
"I hope," Jeff said simply.  
"Well, I will tell you what I am going to do," Robert said, "I've rested enough. I have to go back to Stonehenge. I made a promise."  
"I understand that," Jeff said, "But you don't fully know what you're talking about. We really shouldn't return without at least someone who has some PSI power to help out."  
Robert let out a grunt.  
"You disagree?" Jeff asked.  
"I am fully capable of handling myself without any... PSI users helping me out," Robert stated.  
"You don't have to say 'PSI users' in that tone, you know," Jeff said, "My three friends all had amazing capabilities, and they helped to save the world. One of them is dead now because he saved the world, so maybe you can just keep your mouth SHUT about things you obviously do not understand!"  
"Jeff," Apple Man said.  
Jeff continued to glare fiercely at Robert, whose expression hadn't changed any from Jeff's outburst.  
"I am sorry for the loss of your friend," Robert said, "But I cannot let that deter me from what I have already decided."  
"Fine," Jeff said, "You can go to Stonehenge if you are so eager to, but you aren't going alone. I am coming too."  
"Jeff, do you think that's wise?" Apple Man asked.  
"Not completely," Jeff admitted, "But there isn't much else I can do. Ness is injured. I cannot ask Paula to leave him and their son now. It is true that there are others out there helping now. I do believe there will be new chosen ones, but so far I only know about Mako and he is in Summers the last I heard. Not only that, but I couldn't ask anyone to face Stonehenge Base now. They simply would not be ready."  
"I understand," Apple Man said, "But I still do not like this. I don't like any of this at all."  
"Neither do I," Jeff said, "But it's the best chance we have. If nothing else, Robert and I can at least figure out what exactly they're doing. Perhaps we can learn of any possible weaknesses."  
Robert nodded, somewhat impressed with Jeff's strategy.  
Jeff hurried into the other room and got various weapons.  
"I assume you know how to use these?" Jeff asked Robert.  
Robert picked up a Moon Gaia Beam and caulked it.  
"Just show me a Starman and I will shoot," Robert answered.  
"Remember, we don't want to get too carried away," Jeff said, "There's a good chance we won't even get inside, but if we can learn anything at all, then we might figure out a way to get in sometime later."  
"Let's go then," Robert said, "We can't afford anymore time lost."  
"To Stonehenge then," Jeff said and the former legend and the deteremined soldier walked out into the snowy world outside. 


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The cold breeze and the light snow served as little distraction as Robert and Jeff moved silently into the woods.  
The trees had become very dense in the years following Giygas' defeat. Jeff could remember when he first emerged from the cave north of Stonehenge.  
Once he made his way around the rocky formations and avoided the ferocious looking bears, it wasn't that hard for him to eventually find his father's secluded lab. With Stonehenge dormant, however, the wintry forest seemed to flourish.  
Robert looked around with more interest this time around. Before he could barely focus on anything except finding shelter. He scolded himself for that also. Learning your surroundings is among the most important things Robert has learned, and yet he failed to do just that and now he was faced with an unknown forest which should be known.  
"I guess we both have a lot on our minds," Jeff said, finally breaking the silence.  
"The current circumstances have given me a lot to think about, yes," Robert answered.  
"So I did not get to fully hear your story," Jeff said, "Apple Man said you come from the northern region of Raptorland?"  
"From Berk, yes," Robert said, "Nestled in among the surrounding Rusty Mountains. It... seemed like a secure place to operate."  
"When dealing with monsters like these, no place is safe," Jeff commented.  
"I suppose we were still somewhat foolish in our ways," Robert admitted.  
"This attacker that you say came to Berk," Jeff said, "Describe him to me."  
"He was an exceptional fighter," Robert said, "You can tell he is well gifted in both body and mind. They say I'm among the most gifted of Berk and still he matched me move for move."  
"And he used PSI as well?" Jeff asked.  
"I think so," Robert answered, "It was definitely psychic powers, but if I'm not mistaken, you usually call out your powers by saying 'PSI' correct?"  
"Yes," Jeff confirmed.  
"Well, he didn't say 'PSI'," Robert explained, "He used the word 'Pforce'."  
"Pforce?" Jeff echoed, "I've never heard of such a word."  
"He used two moves with it," Robert went on, "One was Quake Pforce which, as the name suggests, created an earthquake. His other technique was called Entrapment Pforce. It seemed to paralyze all the soldiers who rushed to help me."  
"All of them at once?" Jeff marveled, "It sounds like some variation to PSI Paralysis, but to affect a large group such as he did, it must have commanded a lot of concentration."  
"He made it look easy for him," Robert said, "He was in the middle of attacking me as well. He used something on me. I think he only whispered the technique, but it made me feel like my head would explode. After he attacked, the others ran to help and he just looked at them and did his entrapment power, then focused on me again."  
"Interesting," Jeff said, "It sounds as though whatever this Pforce is, it seems superior to PSI. What did he call himself?"  
"His name is Shendi," Robert answered with a look of contempt.  
"So it would seem as though we have at least two big players out there," Jeff chronicled, "Supreme Starman has already made several appearances and has done serious damage, and we have this Shendi who appears to possess frightening psychic powers."  
"So this is what it was like," Robert murmured.  
"This is what what was like?" Jeff asked.  
"Before," Robert went on, "The war with Giygas. This is what you had to do."  
"Yes," Jeff said.  
"So I guess it's up to you again," Robert said, "You and your friends."  
"Perhaps," Jeff said, "Although I think that once again faith must be placed in children for the powers of good to triumph."  
"A new generation of chosen ones?" Robert asked.  
"I believe so," Jeff said, "Already there are two children out there that I do firmly believe will play an active role in what is to come. I cannot be positive, but the signs seem to point to that more than anything else."  
"I guess then there is still hope for the rest of us," Robert said.  
"Hope is always a constant," Jeff said, "It's what makes the human spirit endure throughout all the trials and heartaches, and it is what will see us through to the next day."  
"It is always good to have more than just blind hope," Robert retorted, "That is why places like Berk exist. We can't always just rely on those more gifted than the rest. We must learn to fend for ourselves as much as having others do it for us."  
"No one has ever said that PSI users are automatically more fit to take care of themselves," Jeff said, "Of course we all can do just as well."  
"Of course," Robert answered blankly.  
"You don't have to live your life trying to prove something, Robert," Jeff advised, "You do not have to try and prove your own worth."  
Robert stopped walking and looked deep into the forest surrounding him.  
"Yes, I do," he answered in a deep tone.  
Robert continued walking through the forest. Jeff stood still for a moment watching him, and then he too continued to walk through the dense wood.

As with their northern counterpart, the forests outside Brindlewood were playing host to a pair of travelers.  
Mako moved quickly through the trails of the forest while Brian moved uncertainly behind.  
"So what was it like before?" Mako asked.  
"What?" Brian answered.  
"Your life," Mako said, "What was it like before this began?"  
"Well, I lived in Pikor over in Raptorland," Brian said, "Just me and my mom. My dad died when I was younger."  
"I'm sorry," Mako said.  
Brian shrugged and went on, "I guess you could call my life pretty boring. I didn't do anything too exciting. First unusual thing that happened in my life was seeing these cyborgs coming down from the Rusty Mountains."  
"And that brought you here to Eagleland?" Mako asked.  
"Well, my friends and I ran into the cyborgs and were forced to fight. I managed to defeat one that was by itself with my fire beta, but when facing all of them I don't think I did much damage. Luckily, they wanted something other than me and took off during the confusion. My friend Trevor said they were heading here."  
"Trevor's the boy in the hospital," Mako noted.  
"Yeah," Brian answered, "You said you went to his hospital room before finding me?"  
"Something just drew me towards him," Mako explained, "I'm not really sure what it was, but going to his room did directly lead me to you. I fell into this trance and when I awoke, I was able to sense PSI energies much like my father can, and something in my mind just knew what to look for in order to find you."  
"Weird," Brian remarked.  
"His PSI power seems to be unnatural," Mako continued.  
"Yeah, he mentioned his abilities were given to him," Brian said.  
"It's just a shame what happened to him," Mako remarked, "What kind of person would purposely alter's someone's mind like that. It just goes against everything good and decent."  
"I guess not everyone in the world is good and decent," Brian commented.  
The two continued to walk in silence again. The trees slowly became further apart. It slowly became evident that the forest was thinning out and giving way to their destination.  
"I wonder where this leads to exactly," Brian mentioned.  
"I am unsure," Mako said, "I never did venture this way before. For all I know, nothing lies at the edge of this forest."  
"Can you sense... anything?" Brian asked, "I mean, if there's something up ahead that's PSI..."  
"I'm not fully sure of my new power," Mako said, "I don't think my father meant for me to have it already. He never acquired the ability until his early twenties."  
"So what kind of abilities do you have?" Brian asked.   
He recently realized that he never really interacted with someone else who had true PSI abilities. The chance to actively talk about it actually excited him.  
"Well, my main offensive abilities are PSI Flash and Thunder," Mako said.  
"Oh, I can do PSI Thunder," Brian commented.  
"I also have healing and lifeup abilities, as well as PSI Shield Epsilon and some basic offense up and defense down powers," Mako finished.  
"Wow, you have more abilities than I do," Brian said, "I mainly just have Fire, Thunder, and Lifeup. I've tried Flash and this Repel power Trevor used, but I'm not that great with them yet."  
"Well, you _do_ have this power that you used against the mooks," Mako pointed out.  
Brian flinched a bit, "I'm not sure at all what that was."  
"It does sound powerful," Mako said, "Very powerful actually. It destroyed a whole army of mooks. They don't go down easily. It sounds as though you have great power within you."  
"I don't really like thinking about it," Brian said shortly.  
"You sort of have to," Mako pressed, "Something that potent? You really will have to learn how to control it."  
"Okay, fine," Brian snapped, "You don't have to be all over me about it. I understand you grew up with all this training and stuff with your dad being emperor and one of the Chosen Four, but not everyone lives like that."  
"No need to get overly defensive," Mako said, "I'm just making sure you understand fully what will come if you're going to be involved in this next war."  
"Exactly. _If_," Brian pointed out.  
"You are uncertain of your intentions?" Mako asked slowly.  
"I don't know," Brian said, "Like I said, my life was simple. I didn't ask for this. I don't even know if I want it now that it's here."  
Mako slowly nodded. He noted Brian's obvious fear about all of this and understood that he would have work to do in order to make Brian prepared for what was to come.  
"Oh, look," Mako noticed, "We're reaching the end."  
Brian looked ahead and could see that the thin line of trees was ending up ahead. He could see a vast emptiness beyond it. As they reached the end, they realized they came to a vast meadow. Wild and beautiful flowers grew among the grass. The sun shone brightly along the distance. Butterflies and birds flew freely around the area. Mako could see how one could easily become seduced from the overwhelming tranquility of it all. Brian couldn't help but to smile for the first time in awhile. He finally felt content.  
"Well, I guess we're here," Mako said, "Wherever here is."  
"What was that?" Brian quickly said.  
"What?" Mako asked.  
"Something moved through the grass," Brian said, "I could barely make it out. It moved too fast.  
Mako squinted at the grass, but couldn't see anything.  
"Let's move out," Mako said, "See what this place is about. Be on guard though. No telling if any of these animals are on our side or not."  
Brian and Mako slowly moved out into the meadow. The grass was tall. It reached a little bit above their knees. As Brian watched a butterfly land on a large sunflower, he saw it again. It looked like a string. It stuck straight up into the air and he could catch a flash of red. It seemed like it was some material wrapped around the string.  
"There again," Brian whispered to Mako, "There's something out there."  
"Maybe we should split up," Mako said, "Cover more ground and see if we can find..."  
"BOING!"  
"Ah!" Mako gasped as he stumbled and fell over.  
As he was talking, he stepped on something that cried out and scared him.  
Brian stared in amazement as the figure jumped from the grass and moved out into a small area of shorter grass.  
It was incredibly small. It looked like it only came up to Brian's knees itself. It seemed to have a pair of short legs, and the rest of it looked mostly like just a face with a big nose in the middle of it. Whiskers stuck out from its nose and a single hair which looked like a string stuck into the air. A red bow was tied around the hair.  
As Brian stared, the creature spoke, "Strangers! Few come to this place. BOING! Place hidden from rest of land. Don't know what to do. BOING! Strangers come here! Oh dear. What to do? What to do with this event, Mr. Saturn? BOING!"  
"A Mr. Saturn," Mako marveled, "but living way out here? I thought they all lived in Saturn Valley."  
"Not all, good sir! Not all!" the Mr. Saturn answered, "Many tired of tight places. Surrounded on all sides by rocky walls! Cramped Mr. Saturn was. BOING! Many come here. Many enjoy the open air. Open air of Saturn Meadows! BOING!"  
"Saturn Meadows?" Brian said, "This is where we were supposed to come?"  
"They could prove very useful," Mako said, "The Mr. Saturn may seem simple, but they really are intelligent. They helped my father and his friends a few times during their quest."  
"Well, then maybe they can help again," Brian said.  
"Help! Maybe," the Mr. Saturn answered, "Not for me to decide. Grande! Grande know the truth. BOING! You go find Grande. You talk. He talk. You listen. Truth revealed! Clearing in center of meadow. You go, good sir! Go see Grande!"  
"The Grande?" Brian asked.  
"Must be their leader," Mako said, "But either way, he sounds like the person we should go see, so let's get going!"  
Mako quickly moved deeper into the meadow. Brian looked around slowly, and then followed after Mako. The Mr. Saturn rocked back and forth with a pleased look.  
"BOING!"

"It's a good thing we found them when we did."  
"Especially with what's been going on."  
"Where did you say they were laying?"  
"The middle of the park."  
"Oh, dear. What could have happened?  
"Look! They're waking up."  
Kayla and Angela slowly opened their eyes as they heard the comments around them.  
"Where are we?" Kayla asked.  
They were in a small room. They were laying on old couches. The door to the room was open and they could see desks in the next room. A cat wandered around the room.  
"I know what this is," Angela gasped, "Polestar Preschool!"  
An old man chuckled behind them. "Guess we're popular now."  
Kayla and Angela turned around and looked at the thin, old man with little gray hair on top of his head.  
"Hello," the man said, "Allow me to introduce myself."  
"You're her father," Angela said.  
"Father?" Kayla asked.  
"Yes, I am," the man answered. You can call me Mr. Polestar."  
"Paula's dad," Angela said with a large grin, "This is the father of the chosen girl with amazing powers." 


	15. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The children sat in their groups, cutting out the various shapes. They laughed as they put together their collages while in the next room, Angela smiled while listening. It reminded her of the lessons she gave, even though hers were very different from this.  
"Would you like some more tea?" Mr. Polestar offered.  
"Oh, yes," Angela said, "Thank you."  
Mr. Polestar poured the hot tea into Angela's cup. She reached for the sugar and put a spoonful in her tea.  
"So that is quite a story you two have told me," Mr. Polestar said as he sat down at the small table.  
"Well, like I said, we can't be sure of anything," Angela explained, "But after seeing a mook, I fear the worst."  
"Indeed," Mr. Polestar said as his eyes wandered off.  
Kayla sat nearby next to a window. She gazed into the sky above, knowing Michael was still out there.  
This entire thing was taking longer than she expected. They still had no clue where Michael even was. She could feel the edge of despair creeping up in her heart and struggled to fight it back.  
"Did you hear me?" Angela asked.  
"I'm sorry, what?" Kayla started.  
"Mr. Polestar was asking us what we have seen so far," Angela said, "I told him about Pokey of course, Elder Mook, and that creepy man who was following us, but I know you saw other things in Fourside."  
"Yeah, "Kayla said, "The ones who kidnapped Michael. Elder Mook was there too along with this guy in a big cloak. I think Elder Mook called him Georg. He was pretty scary and I could tell his PSI is very advanced, and..."  
Very suddenly, Kayla's mind seemd to hit a roadblock.  
"And?" Angela said.  
"I... can't remember," Kayla realized, "Something inside me is saying there was a third person there, but for the life of me I can't remember."  
"Well, you were blown clear across the street," Angela reasoned, "You probably hit your head."  
"Yeah," Kayla said, although she didn't feel convinced. She felt more violated than anything else, despite her confusion.  
"So what are you going to do from here?" Mr. Polestar asked.  
"Ooh, I'm not sure," Angela admitted, "We have little to go on right now. Pokey escaped and we have no real information on Elder Mook or those guys."  
"Ah, this all just serves to remind me of the stuff my daughter had to go through twenty years ago," Mr. Polestar reminisced.  
"Hey!" Angela piped up, "What about them? Paula and Ness!"  
"What about them?" Kayla asked.  
"We could try calling them from here!" Angela said in excitement.  
Mr. Polestar shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  
"How will they help exactly?" Kayla asked uncertainly.  
"They must know something," Angela pressed, "How could they not?"  
Kayla wanted to ask if Angela was just using this as some means to meet Ness and Paula, but the thought suddenly made her angry. They needed to focus on Michael. That's why Kayla went to Angela. Why should they go off on this distraction just for Angela to meet her idols?  
"So, could you call her?" Angela asked Mr. Polestar.  
Mr. Polestar slowly got up from his chair and walked over to the counter.  
"I'm afraid I can't," he answered, "The phones won't dial out of Twoson."  
"Really?" Angela said, "Well, I guess we could go there ourselves."  
"Do we really have time for that?" Kayla asked cooly, "I've never been to Onett. We would have to walk it."  
"Shouldn't take that long," Angela reasoned.  
Kayla's eyes flashed and she quickly looked back outside.  
"I wouldn't advise going there really," Mr. Polestar interjected, "You would have to travel by Chaos Central. You may be caught."  
"Caught?" Angela asked, "Chaos Central? Since when was there a place called that in Twoson?"  
Mr. Polestar sighed, "I didn't really want to mentios this. I figured you girls would be going back towards Threed, but if you're considering going Norht then I should tell you."  
"What's going on?" Angela asked.  
"I'm afraid Twoson has been overrun," Mr. Polestar said, "The mayor's been exiled and they've turned this place into sort of a dictatorship."  
"Under whose authority?" Kayla asked, looking back from the window.  
"It's some mob of sorts," Mr. POlestar explained, "The guy in charge is called Mr. Torch. Not sure how he got that name. Rumors fly around about some scar he got from a torch. He made Chaos Theatre his base due to its central location and renamed it Chaos Central. He made the neighborhood up north his personal territory. The people there are under such strict guidelines. We all are really, but those poor folks are getting the brunt of it."  
"That's awful," Angela said, "Why would someone do something like that? It's so... odd."  
That's when Kayla receieved the flash in her head. It was brief, but she saw gold, and Michael. She let out a gasp.  
"What's wrong, Kayla?" Angela asked.  
"I... saw something," Kayla murmured, "I saw a brief image of Michael. I don't really understand it."  
"You have a gift similar to my daughter's," Mr. Polestar realized, "She had the gift of premonition. It helped guide her and her friends throughout their journey."  
"Can you figure out what the vision meant, Kayla?" Angela asked.  
"No," Kayla said, "But I have this feeling now. I feel as though we need to go to Chaos Central."  
"And kick Mr. Torch out!" Angela said with a tone of glee.  
"That would be very dangerous," Mr. Polestar warned, "Are you sure you want to even think about it?"  
"Yes, we have to," Kayla said, "I'm sure of it."  
"This _is_ becoming a real adventure," Angela marveled.  
"I can see there's little I can do to stop you," Mr. Polestar said, "At least allow me to help out some."  
He opened up a drawer and pulled out two frying pans.  
"These belonged to Paula," Mr. Polestar said, "She gave them to me after her journey. You two both remind me of her in your own ways. I feel as though you should have them now."  
Kayla and Angela took the two frying pans in their hand.  
"Thank you," Kayla said, "It would be good to have some sort of a weapon besides PSI in case we have to use too much of it."  
"Right," Angela said.  
Kayla put them in her backpack and slipped on her shoes.  
"Please be careful," Mr. Polestar pleaded, "I'd hate for anything bad to happen."  
"Don't worry," Angela said, "We handled a small army of cyborgs. We should be able to handle some mob boss."  
With that, Angela hurried out of the preschool.  
"Thank you again," Kayla said, "Hopefully we'll see each other again soon."  
"Good luck," Mr. Polestar said.  
Kayla's mind returned to Michael again. Through all the uncertainty, she felt some connection between Mr. Torch and Michael's disappearance. If it meant she could learn something to save him, then she couldn't give up. She had to defeat the mob and free Twoson.  
She opened the front door and stepped out into the warm sunshine.

Saturn Meadows really was a peaceful place. It was one of those places that felt like it was almost perfect and it could never be anything less than what it already was. Become better? Oh, yes, improvement was always still possible.  
As Brian and Mako went deeper into the meadows, the grass grew shorter and they could see now small huts and Mr. Saturns running all about.  
"Friends!"  
"Want some fresh Saturn Spring? Kay-O!"  
"The meadows were a great choice for life. BOING!"  
"Seek counsel from Grande! Grande knows truth!"  
"They're certainly friendly," Brian commented.  
"It's how they've always been," Mako said, "Sometimes they're overwhelming hospitality gets them into trouble, but it's still comforting to meet a kind like theirs."  
They came into a clearing and could tell it was the center of their village. A larger hut stood before them shaped like a giant Mr. Saturn.  
"This must be the place," Mako said, "Let's go."  
They walked up to the door and knocked. After ten seconds of silence, they knocked again. Still there was no answer. Mako tried the door and found it unlocked. He slowly opened the door.  
"Hello?" Mako called, "We don't mean any harm. We're looking for someone called the Grande Saturn?"  
"And so you have found he whom you speak of," answered a gentle voice.  
A Mr. Saturn walked out from a side room. He was slightly larger than the other Mr. Saturns. His single hair was longer and he wore a blue bow instead of a red one.  
"Enter, brave children," Grande Saturn welcomed, "Do not be too hesitant of the goals that you seek."  
Brian and Mako walked in and shut the door.  
"You both have traveled far and wide to come here," Grande Saturn remarked, "Brian Margerson! From the continent to our west of Raptorland in the tiny town of Pikor. And Mako, son of the great Emperor Poo, hailing from the furthest eastern regions of Eagleland in the kingdom of Dalaam. Tell me, what divine events have led the both of you to this single sanctuary?"  
Brian stared at Grande Saturn, unsure of what to say. Mako spoke up.  
"We have come in response to a growing threat," he said, "We fear an alien much like Giygas who invaded Earth twenty years ago has descended upon us and is working to finish what the evil Giygas once set out to do."  
"Distressing suspicions indeed," Grande Saturn answered, "Undoubtedly the return of a being such as Giygas could only mean conflict and terror for all of us."  
"But as was always known, Earth is not so weak as has been assumed," Grande Saturn went on, "Strength lies ever vigilent within our lands, and courage."  
Brian couldn't help but think about his fight with Senior Mook.  
_"I want to go home... Please don't hurt me... I can't do this..."_  
"Some courage," Brian mumbled.  
"And so the doubtful one remembers his voice," Grande Saturn said.  
"Sorry," Brian stammered, "Just thinking out loud."  
"Yes, you have thought much the last few days," Grande Saturn, "The thoughts that one can ponder often lead to our decisions in life and usually guide us on the right path. Abusing this ability though can only lead to more questions and uncertainty. A balance must be reached between what is right and what is foolish."  
Brian looked towards the ground again.  
"So can anything be done?" Mako asked, "Is this new evil one that we can fight?"  
"The heir of Dalaam wishes to see some light among the darkness," Grande Saturn answered, "A light that so often seems to burn out during the time of need, but to only see a flicker of it... Yes, a spark to ignite the flame. Perhaps then the light will always return."  
At this even Mako looked to Brian for some help, but Brian remained as lost as ever.  
"It will be judged then," Grande Saturn stated, "I have a task. It would be most beneficial for it to be completed soon, and if it is, then the truth should readily reveal itself."  
Brian could feel his heartbeat. He saw where this was going. It was coming fast now, and still he wasn't sure if he wanted it.  
"Brian and Mako," Grande Saturn spoke, "Do you accept this task?"  
Brian and Mako looked at each other. Brian knew what words to speak, but his mouth refused to move. Mako turned back to Grande Saturn.  
"We do."  



	16. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Angela and Kayla walked out to the street outside of Polestar Preschool  
"That's the two houses of the inventors over there," Angela pointed out, "Orange Boy and Apple Boy."  
"They still live there?" Kayla asked.  
"No," Angela said, "Apple Man as he is now lives with Jeff Andonuts in Winters, and no one really knows where Orange Man is. People say their heard a lot of shouting coming from his house last year and an explosion. He hasn't been seen since."  
"Weird," Kayla remarked, "But anyway, I guess we need to start heading for this Chaos Central place."  
"Yeah, not really sure what to expect with that," Angela admitted, "I guess this Mr. Torch guy doesn't have PSI or Paula's father would have mentioned it."  
"Still could be dangerous," Kayla cautioned.  
"Well, like I said before," Angela said, "We did pretty good against most of Pokey's cyborgs. I think we can handle these guys."  
"Hope you're right," Kayla said lowly.  
They walked up the street from Polestar and turned the corner. Looking down the next road, they could tell that things were not normal in Twoson. The street was completely barren. Everdread Park was empty of the usual vendors that fill its paths. The panting of happy dogs was unheard.  
"This is awful," Angela commented, "This guy's completely sapping the life out of Twoson."  
"Hopefully we can stop him from doing this, and get more information about Michael," Kayla said.  
"Do you really think this guy could be connected to all this?" Angela inquired.  
"I'm not sure," Kayla admitted, "But I really hope so."  
"That would be really cool if you have the gift of premonition just like Paula," Angela commented.  
"I guess," Kayla said distantly.  
As the girls approached the end of the road, they could begin to make out Chaos Central, and the view was not very inviting.  
"It's heavily guarded," Kayla noticed.  
"I guess it would be hard to just walk right in," Angela retorted.  
"Yeah, too hard," Kayla said, "We can't risk causing that much of a scene."  
"We could use your Tornadogenesis," Angela suggested.  
"I can't keep that going forever," Kayla said, "Once they come back down, those who aren't hurt will just come right after us. We'll walk in there with who knows how many guys on our tail. It'll be a massacre."  
Angela nodded though she couldn't really see any other solution if they aren't able to get near the place. She wondered what Ness would do.  
"Mr. Polestar said that the northern neighborhood was completely under Mr. Torch's control," Kayla pointed out.  
"Yeah, so?" Angela asked.  
"Well, we can create a diversion up there," Kayla said, "Use our best moves and cause a lot of chaos, pun intended."  
"Oh, so then all these goons will probably head up there and leave the place unguarded," Angela realized.  
"Right," Kayla said, "Which means we can rush in there, find Mr. Torch, and hopefully defeat him before his thugs realize they've been tricked."  
"Wow, that's a good plan," Angela complimented, "I didn't know you had a general inside you."  
"It's just altering the business personality I've inherited from my parents," Kayla answered, "The business world isn't much different from this."  
"Let's do it then!" Angela whooped.  
The two got closer to Chaos Central, but they cut off the road and headed into the trees near Chaos Central. They followed the trees north until they saw the neighborhood that Mr. Torch was running. As Mr. Polestar had said, the streets were littered with more mobsters patrolling the homes.  
Angela looked into a nearby house window and could see a family sitting down for dinner, but none of them looked very happy to be eating. Her heart ached again. She hated seeing people in misery. If there was one thing she wanted, it was to help spread happiness around the world, and now it looked like she finally was having her chance.  
"Okay," Kayla said, "I say the best course of action is to storm in there firing whatever we got. I'll use Tornadogenesis to tear up some small trees or plants and knock some guys around. You use your Wave Beta and flood the area."  
"Got it," Angela said.  
"Let's go," Kayla said.  
She quickly ran out from the trees and up to the street.  
"PSI Tornadogenesis Beta!" Kayla cried.  
A tornado instantly sprang up from where she stood and took off down the street. The mobsters noticed, pointed, yelled, and cursed.  
The tornado quickly tore up grass, plants, and mailboxes and tossed them all over. The mobsters did their best to avoid the flying debris, and some wound up getting caught up in the tornado themselves and being thrown down the street.  
The people in the homes rushed to their windows when they heard the commotion. They stared in awe at the tornado that seemed to have a mind of its own.  
"Good show!" Angela called.  
She ran between the houses and stopped at the middle of the street.  
"PSI Wave Beta!" she yelled.  
Two pillars of water came rushing out of her hands and rushed down the street. Angela quickly then turned around to face Kayla's tornado.  
"PSI Wave Beta!" she yelled again.  
The water rushed into the tornado and was thrown in all directions.  
"Ha ha!" Angela cried in triumph.

It was always a pleasure to count the money.  
Flipping through the pile of hundred dollar bills always seemed to have a way of calming whatever nerves Mr. Torch might have.  
Mr. Torch reached over and grabbed his beer sitting on his desk. He took a sip, put it down, and continued counting the money.  
Mr. Torch hated being interrupted while he counted his money, so it was no surprise that his anger rose violently when his assistant came barging into the office.  
"Wilson!" Mr. Torch raged, "How many times do I have to tell you not to bother me when..."  
"It's an emergency, Mr. Torch!" Wilson gasped, "Someone's attacking our guys up by your houses!"  
"WHAT!" Mr. Torch shouted, "Who would dare!"  
"I don't know, sir!" Wilson whimpered.  
"Well, don't just stand here!" Mr. Torch snapped, "Send help up there right now! Send them all! And find me the fools who are doing this and bring them to me!"  
"Yes, sir!" Wilson cried and ran out of the office.  
Mr. Torch grabbed his beer and threw it across the room. It shattered when it hit the opposite wall.  
A rustle came from the bushes outside Mr. Torch's window. His eyes darted over to the bushes with a look of fear. He gripped his money tightly and slowly sat down.

"It's working," Kayla said.  
She and Angela ran back to their hiding spot in the trees and could see a lot of mobsters running up from Chaos Central.  
"We have to hurry," Kayla said, "It won't take them long to figure out what's up."  
Kayla and Angela ran as fast as they could back down towards Chaos Central. Like they hoped, all the guards were gone from the entrance. They quickly ran inside.  
A tall, thin man wearing a suit was pacing around the lobby.  
"What?" he gasped, "How did you... oh, the boss won't like this!"  
"PSI Freeze Beta!" Kayla yelled.  
A freezing mist surrounded the man and and he fell over, too cold to move.  
"That door over there was where the manager's office was when this was Chaos Theatre," Angela said.  
"Let's hurry," Kayla said.  
They ran over and stormed in.  
"Well, well, well," the stocky man inside answered, "When I, Mr. Torch, heard it was little girls causing this ruckus... Well, I just wasn't entirely sure what to think, but what to do? Oh, yes, I know what to do."  
With that Mr. Torch raised his hand and swung it down, which caused a chair to soar across the room and crash into Angela. She cried out in shock and fell to the floor.  
"Angela!" Kayla gasped.  
"Now..." Mr. Torch said, "Want to explain why you're here?"

Brian and Mako walked slowly to the door of Grande Saturn's hut.  
"You understand then," Grande Saturn said, "What I have asked of you?"  
"Yes," Mako said, "We will go and liberate your underground cavern of the madness animals that have invaded it."  
"I wish you all the luck," Grande Saturn, "And I hold the highest hope that you will return and the truth will rise up."  
Brian and Mako nodded and left Grande Saturn's hut.  
"He said the entrance was about 100 yards north of his hut," Mako said.  
"Right," Brian answered.  
"Are you frightened?" Mako asked.  
"What?" Brian stuttered.  
"I couldn't help but notice your hesitation inside," Mako said, "Are you sure you're ready for this?"  
"Guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Brian answered nervously.  
Mako accepted that much for now, and the two headed north from Grande Saturn's hut. Soon, they reached what looked like a hole in the ground. They could see a rope ladder hanging down from it.  
"This is it," Mako announced.  
"Uh huh," Brian said.  
They climbed down the rope for what seemed like a long time and finally touched the floor below. As they looked around, they could first tell how poorly lit the place was. There was some lanterns here and there still burning, but not very well. Obviously, the animals haven't tried to keep up the caverns at all.  
Brian moved forward down the first passage a ways. He never saw what was coming.  
WHAM!  
Brian was knocked to the ground quickly and Mako noticed the large mole which ran into him.  
"PSI Flash Alpha!" Mako yelled.  
For an instant, the caverns were lit up by a bright light. It stung the mole's sensitive eyes and tears began flowing out. Mako quickly ran towards him, spun around, and delivered a hard kick to its chin.  
The mole's head snapped back and he fell over.  
Brian recovered from his attack and pulled out his bat, which he quickly used to knock the mole out of commission.  
"Okay," Brian gasped, "I guess I'll keep my eyes open more."  
"We never know what may come out at us," Mako said, "Better keep that bat out. We don't want to use too much PSI if we can help it."  
"Right," Brian agreed.  
The pair continued down through the twisting passages, encountering other moles, slugs, ants, bats, and even a few more dangerous bears, which Mako had to use PSI Freeze Alpha on while Brian distracted it with his bat.  
Several times they took wrong turns and wound up at dead ends, but luckily the animals seemed to thin out some as they moved deeper within the caverns.  
"This whole place is unnerving," Brian commented, "I can't believe the Chosen Four used to go through this all the time."  
"I think it was a lot worse than this," Mako said, "Which makes me wonder what we have yet to face."  
"Watch it!" Brian yelled.  
As they turned the next corner, a small army of ants charged at them. Trying to smash all of them with his bat wasn't helping very much, so Brian cast a PSI Fire Beta which weakened them enough to where he and Mako could catch and eliminate them.  
"They seem to just keep coming and coming," Mako said, "Where does this all end already?"  
"Mako..." Brian said, "What is that?"  
Mako noticed Brian looking a bit up and he followed his gaze. Across the way was a risen level of the cavern and there was an entrance to another part of the cavern, but the part that caught Brian's attention was the sphere in front of the entrance. The sparkling sphere of light with a voice chuckling within it.

Frank Fly shut his briefcase and locked up his desk. The day had come to an end and he was anxious to get home to his wife and children. It was another typical day in Town Hall, and as mayor he had little amount of affairs to attend to. It was almost boring in ways, but Frank was mostly glad nothing too serious was happening. He actually smiled a bit as he wondered what it would be like if he had to deal with a gang like the Sharks, which he hiimself led all those years ago.  
Frank left Town Hall and began heading up the street towards his neighborhood. It was a nice, warm day out. The skies were clear and the sun still shone brightly as it was beginning its late afternoon descent towards the horizon.  
It was while Frank was just reaching the entrance to his development when he noticed the peculiar man heading his way. His face was pointed downwards and he seemed to be mumbling to himself furiously. Frank could pick out parts of what he was saying such as "Lost all of them..." and "gotta get those girls back".  
"Excuse me?" Frank called, "Are you all right, sir?"  
The man stopped and looked at Frank in shock. Frank could tell the man wasn't expecting anyone to come across him.  
"Are you lost or anything?" Frank asked, "Can I get you some help?"  
Instead of answering, though, the man suddenly ran towards Frank with his fists clenched. Frank was very surprised that he was suddenly being attacked, but he managed to bring his briefcase up in time to block the man's punch, but the force of the punch knocked his briefcase out of his hand.  
Frank gasped and shot a glance at his briefcase which had a huge dent in the side now. Frank looked back at the man and that's when he noticed it. Most of the man didn't look like a man at all. He looked part machine.  
"Oh, my God," Frank stammered, "Who... what..."  
"That's what most say," the man answered with a grunt, "Few ever figure it out in time!"  
With that, the man quickly punched Frank across the face. Frank flew back a few feet and landed hard on the ground. He was soon picked up by the man and hurled into a nearby tree.  
Frank moaned in pain and sank to the ground. He hit his head hard on the tree and he could already feel blood coming from a wound. His vision was clouding up. He knew he would be losing consciousness soon. That's when he heard the man speak again.  
"No," came the agitated voice, "No, I don't think I want the death to start with you. The first one to die in this town today is going to be that stupid pig's butt. Yes, that is how it's going to happen today!"  
Frank heard his footsteps run away. As he realized what the man meant, he passed out. 


	17. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Angela!" Kayla yelled.  
She knelt down next to Angela and checked her out. She had a cut on her forehead, but there didn't seem to be much else wrong. She was just in shock.  
"So, are you going to answer me?" Mr. Torch asked, "Why have you come?"  
"To stop you obviously," Kayla answered.  
"Well, you've wasted your time," Mr. Torch declared, "I am the law around here and it's going to take more than two brats to stop me."  
"We'll just see about that!" Kayla challenged, "PSI Freeze Beta!"  
Mr. Torch waved his hand and another chair moved in front of him and took the hit for him.  
"I hope that's not the best move you got," Mr. Torch mused.  
Kayla yelled in frustration and ran towards Mr. Torch. He thrust his hand forward and the chair flew at Kayla, but she whipped out her frying pan and swung it at the chair. It fell to the side and Kayla kept running at Mr. Torch.  
She swung the frying pan.  
Mr. Torch grabbed hold of her wrist and held the pan back.  
"PSI Transparent Alpha!" Kayla yelled.  
Suddenly, Mr. Torch's hand was grasping the air as Kayla slipped around him.  
"What's this?" he gasped.  
Kayla swung the pan, which wasn't affected since it was inorganic.  
She connected with the back of Mr. Torch's head. He yelled in pain and fell forward on his desk.  
"PSI Freeze Beta!" Kayla shouted.  
"Ohhhh..." Mr. Torch moaned as he felt the frozen mist surround him. He threw himself away and rolled around on the floor, trying to keep himself warm.  
"Just a worthless, little girl?" Kayla asked.  
"Crashing Bang Boom Attack!" Mr. Torch screamed.  
Lightning suddenly begin striking around the room. Kayla raced to avoid the bolts. One struck the desk and it exploded outward, propelling Kayla into the file cabinet.  
"Ow!" she gasped and fell to the floor.  
"I'm going to have to teach you some respect!" Mr. Torch raged.  
He raised his hands and prepared to bring them crashing down.  
"PSI Mine Blaster Alpha!"  
"AHHHH!" Mr. Torch yelled as the floor beneath him exploded, sending him into the wall.  
"Angela!" Kayla gasped.  
"Sorry for wigging out," Angela said, "Caught me off guard."  
"No problem," Kayla said, "This guy's proving to be harder than even I thought. His powers are strange. I can't tell if they're PSI or what."  
"This can't happen this way!" Mr. Torch yelled, "I won't let it!"  
"PSI Bubble Alpha!" Angela yelled.  
"Reflect!" Mr. Torch countered.  
Angela's bubble formed around her and Kayla instead.  
"No!" Angela gasped.  
"Enough of this fooling around!" Mr. Torch yelled, "It's time to end this. It's time for you two to die!"

Mako slowly approached the ledge containing the sparkling sphere.  
"I don't believe it," he murmured.  
"What is it?" Brian asked.  
"Can it be true?" Mako wondered aloud, "Are we really... chosen?"  
Suddenly, the sphere gave off a bright light. As it faded, an enormous toad flew through the air and landed between Brian and Mako.  
"You're little mission ends here!" it yelled, "I am the Terror Toad, and you are about to be my first victims!"  
Its tongue shot out from its mouth. It wrapped around Brian's arm and tugged.  
Brian was lifted off the ground and flew into Mako.  
The two grunted as they fell over.  
Terror Toad gave off a loud RIIIIBIT! and jumped high up.  
He landed hard on the ground, causing it to shake. Brian and Mako stumbled as they tried to stand back up.  
"PSI Thunder Beta!" Terror Toad yelled.  
Twin bolts of lightning struck the ground. They barely mised Brian and Mako.  
"We have to slow him down somehow!" Mako yelled.  
Terror Toad leapt closer and smacked Brian across the face with strong tongue.  
"PSI Freeze Alpha!" Mako yelled.  
Luckily, Terror Toad's focus was still on Brian. The freezing mist caught him off guard, but didn't slow him down for long. He quickly leapt at Mako and knocked him down.  
"PSI Repel Alpha!" Brian yelled.  
Terror Toad was knocked off of Mako and tumbled across the room.  
"He's too much!" Brian gasped.  
"No he isn't," Mako said sternly, "We just need to get organized."  
Brian couldn't slow down his beating heart though. This felt just like the fight with Senior Mook. Fighting against someone that kept running around and holding the advantage. It was all the same.  
"PSI Paralysis Alpha!" Terror Toad yelled as its gaze fixated on Mako.  
"No!" Mako gasped.  
He tried to jump out of the way, but it was too late. Halfway through his jump he froze solid and fell to the ground.  
"Mako!" Brian gasped.  
"Can't... move..." Mako struggled to say.  
"Your turn," Terror Toad said to Brian.  
"PSI Fire Beta!" Brian yelled.  
"PSI Shield Epsilon!" Terror Toad responded quickly.  
The pillar of fire raged towards Terror Toad but got absorbed by the psychic shield.  
"PSI Thunder Alpha!" Brian cried.  
The lightning bolt completely missed Terror Toad, who was already leaping through the air and sending its tongue towards Brian.  
It wrapped itself around Brian's legs and pulled his legs out from under him.  
Terror Toad dragged Brian across the room. The rough ground tore at Brian's shirt and scraped him up.  
Terror Toad gave a snap with his tongue and released his grip. Brian tumbled hard into the far wall.  
"Ohh..." he groaned in pain.  
"Pitiful," Terror Toad spat.  
Brian placed his hand over his chest. "PSI Lifeup Alpha!"  
Brian felt his cuts heal and some of his strength return.  
Terror Toad spat his tongue out again. Brian pulled out his bat and swung. Terror Toad's tongue wound up wrapped around Brian's bat instead.  
Brian tried to swing his bat and pull Terror Toad over, but he was too heavy. Terror Toad instead yanked his tongue back and ripped Brian's bat out of his hands. He then swung his tongue around and brought the bat down.  
Brian quickly dodged out of the way. Terror Toad quickly pulled his tongue back though and the bat caught Brian's leg and knocked him over.  
"Mako, I can't do this!" Brian gasped.  
Mako could feel his legs somewhat and was trying to stand up.  
"You have to keep trying, Brian!" he yelled, "Don't give up! He _can_ be beaten."  
"How!" Brian cried.  
"Just don't give up!" Mako yelled.  
Terror Toad's tongue whipped through the air, slapping Brian back and forth.  
"PSI Fire Beta!" Brian gasped, but his attack wound up going the wrong way and died against the rocky walls.  
Terror Toad jumped straight at Brian and pushed him back against the wall.  
"I can't!" Brian wheezed, "I just... can't do this anymore!"  
"Brian!" Mako raged.  
But Mako's voice was no longer in Brian's head. He could only hear his mother, asking him how he's been the last few days. He could hear Chase asking about any new PSI powers he learned. Most importantly, he heard the calm of Pikor all around him. Oh, how he longed to be surrounded with it again.  
Mako slowly got to his feet.  
_He can't do it,_ he thought, _He keeps getting consumed by his own fears, but I too cannot do this alone. I know what can help, but I'm not ready. My father couldn't do it at this point yet. How can I? But I must try. This is for you, father!_ Mako slowly rose his hands upward. He could feel his energy flowing through him. He focused it at one point. He focused on the sky above them all. He pictured every detail. He saw it coming down. He reached out with his mind and tried to grasp the goal.  
"I can see that the world is in real trouble this time," Terror Toad taunted, "If all it has defending it are people like you."  
"PSI..." Brian gasped, "Fire..."  
"No! Don't think so!" Terror Toad yelled.  
He quickly smacked Brian across the face and Brian fell over.  
"Time for this pitiful battle to end," Terror Toad gloated, "I was so hoping to have some sort of challenge."  
Terror Toad closed his eyes and his tongue became electrified.  
"Time for the Shocking Lick!" he yelled.  
His tongue rose high above Brian, and began to come down, but halfway down he froze.  
"What is this!" he gasped as he looked at Mako.  
Mako's teeth were gritted and sweat poured down his face.  
"What!" Terror Toad gasped.  
"PSI..." Mako gasped, "... STARSTORM ALPHA!"  
It happened so fast. The ceiling caved in as lights shaped as stars came raining in. They struck Terror Toad with a blinding speed and exploded on contact, sending Terror Toad through the wall.  
The rest of the fall caved in and buried Terror Toad beneath it.  
The sparkling sphere on the ledge above them glowed brighter, and then vanished.  
"Brian," Mako gasped.  
Brian slowly sat up and looked at Terror Toad's corpse.  
"I'm... sorry," he mumbled.  
"It's okay," Mako said, "Let's go."  
Brian stood up and followed Mako to the ledge.  
"So you knew what that sphere was?" Brian asked.  
"If I'm right," Mako said, "Then this is a sanctuary location."  
"Sanctuary location?" Brian asked.  
They walked through the entrance and came into a brightly lit room. A spring was running gently in the middle of it, filling a small pool of water. A small jagged stone lay on the floor.  
Mako walked over to the stone and picked it up. Suddenly, both he and Brian felt a sensation of peace and calm. A gentle melody filled the room, and the stone glowed slightly.  
"Wow," Brian murmured, "That felt..."  
But he didn't finish his comment, for at that moment he fell to the floor, and his mind closed itself off to the horrible caverns of the Mr. Saturns.

"Hello, Brian."  
Brian opened his eyes. He couldn't tell where he was. It looked like he was standing in mid-air, but the surroundings looked unnatural, like he was standing in some mosaic painting.  
"Aren't you going to ask where you are?" the voice that came from everywhere asked.  
"I'm not sure what to say," Brian answered.  
"You're scared," the voice said, "This is natural. You should always keep some form of rational fear within you."  
"I really don't feel like listening to more psycho babble," Brian grumbled, "I already get it, okay? I'm weak. This fight isn't for me. I've already accepted it. Why can't the rest of you?"  
"Because this is your fight, Brian," the voice answered sternly, "Whether you want it or not. You have been chosen."  
"Then someone made a mistake!" Brian yelled, "I'm not a chosen one. I'm not like the great Ness, or Paula, or even Mako. Obviously he's supposed to be here. He's Poo's son, but me? Why am I here?"  
"Ahh, isn't that the question we all ask from time to time," the voice answered, "Why? Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green?"  
"Only this is a logical question!" Brian snapped, "And the answer is I'm not supposed to be. Even Trevor was more meant for this than I am, and his PSI isn't even natural!"  
"You have great gifts, Brian," the voice said, "Whether you recognize them or not. How can you deny that after you single handedly defeated an army of mooks?"  
"I can't explain what happened," Brian said, "I don't even know if that was me really."  
"It was," the voice assured him, "You must learn to accept the truth, and work with it. Do you wish to see your friends and family back home suffer?"  
"No," Brian said.  
"Is that not why you decided to follow the cyborgs?" the voice asked, "Did you not want to get justice to what they did to those people in your town?"  
"Yes, but.." Brian began.  
"Don't give that all up," the voice urged, "Don't turn your backs on those you love. It isn't in you."  
Brian realized tears were falling down his face.  
"I don't want to let them down," he sobbed, "But it's all too much. How am I supposed to make a difference?"  
"That is for you to realize in time," the voice answered, "The real question is... do you want to realize it?"  
Brian remained silent for a moment. It was a question he hadn't really thought about it. His mind has spent most of the last day wishing to go home, and wondering how a kid like him was supposed to make a difference in this coming war, but he never did wonder if he even wanted to find out how he could help.  
"Brian?" the voice asked.  
"I guess... I do," Brian said, "I do want to learn. I've spent so much time and energy wondering why and how, but I never once thought about when... and if I want it or not, but now that I am thinking about it, I do want it."  
"That is all that I need," the voice answered, "Now, go! Go and find the truth. Recognize the new wonder that has been lying dormant so far. Accept it and use it now in the hour of need! Go, Brian! GO!"

Mr. Torch sent a piece of his desk flying to the bubble. It burst it and knocked Angela and Kayla over. They screamed.  
"Now this is how it is supposed to be!" Mr. Torch yelled, "I told you two that you could not beat me, and now you see the truth!"  
"I didn't... realize," Kayla gasped, "Our weakness. We don't have... lifeup..."  
"Ha ha!" Mr. Torch triumphed, "Twoson is mine, and the rest of the world will soon follow!"

Mako paced around the room. Shaking Brian didn't seem to snap him out of it. He ran through his mind of what he could do, or what he should do. He figured the best thing to do would be to teleport somewhere, but where?  
Suddenly, he heard a gasp. He spun around and saw Brian spring up, his eyes wide and alert.  
"Brian?" Mako gasped, "I thought you were losing it or something."  
"It's almost too late," Brian said.  
"What?" Mako asked.  
Brian looked up through a hole in the ceiling. He thought about it and realized how it was done.  
"That's kind of cool," he said with a smile.  
"What's going on, Brian?" Mako asked, "What are you talking about?"  
"Time to go!" Brian yelled, "Right... NOW!"

"Time to die!" Mr. Torch yelled, "It was nice doing... business with ya."  
He raised his hands to the sky and began to speak, "Crashing Bang..."  
CRACK!  
A blinding flash of light filled the room. Mr. Torch gasped and covered his eyes.  
The light faded and Mr. Torch looked at the pair of boys now standing in the room.  
"Who..." he began.  
But quickly, the taller one pointed his finger out the window.  
"PSI Controller," he said.  
His finger suddenly gave off a yellow glow.  
"What are you doing?" Mr. Torch demanded.  
"Finally controlling my... destiny," the boy answered.  
Mr. Torch looked out the window.  
"PSI Thunder Beta!" the boy yelled.  
Faster than the eye could see, two bolts of lightning began to come down, but the boy saw, directed his finger, and the bolts fell under his control. They soared through the window. One stopped on command and the other whipped around and struck Mr. Torch on the side.  
"AHHHH!" he cried.  
He was lifted into the air by the shock of the bolt. The other bolt quickly sprang back to life and added a second blow which sent Mr. Torch flying out the window, across the street, and into the brick wall of the mall. He sank to the ground, eyes closed and body motionless.  
Kayla and Angela looked at the window in shock and slowly turned to look at the boy.  
"Um... hi," he said, "I'm Brian. You are?" 


	18. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Angela and Kayla were not quite sure what to do or say.  
They had just pretty much given up hope of surviving the fight with Mr. Torch, and all of a sudden, the two boys that standed over them appeared and one single-handedly defeated the man who almost killed them.  
"You two look pretty banged up," the one who introduced himself as Brian said.  
"Uh, yeah," Kayla answered, "That guy did a number on us."  
"Mako?" Brian said, looking to the shorter, oriental boy.  
. Mako nodded and the two walked over to Angela and Kayla, and, holding out their hands, said together, "PSI Lifeup Alpha."  
Within an instant, Angela and Kayla's injuries were healed. They stood up and shook themselves off of some dust.  
"So," Kayla said, "Thanks for the save."  
"Yeah," Angela piped up, "That move you used was... well it... it was cool."  
Kayla gave Angela a sideways look and Angela blushed.  
"Indeed, Brian," Mako added, "It would seem as though you've come to realize some of your potential after your little trance."  
"It just came to me back in the cavern," Brian said, "And when we got here, I just knew that's what I had to do."  
"Well, I commend you," Mako said, "I won't deny I was starting to worry about your ability to face what was to come."  
"He did excellent," Angela said.  
This time Brian blushed a little.  
"So, Brian and Mako?" Kayla asked.  
Brian and Mako nodded to her.  
"Well, I'm Kayla Monotoli," Kayla introduced, "This is Angela Barker."  
"Pleased to meet you both," Mako replied, "Monotoli as in the Fourside Monotolis?"  
"One and only," Kayla answered.  
"So how did you wind up here?" Mako asked, "Here being..."  
"Twoson," Kayla answered, "We certainly didn't mean to wind up in a fight with that Torch guy, but we originally came here while following this cyborg..."  
"You saw the cyborgs!" Brian gasped.  
"I'm guessing you did too?" Kayla asked.  
"They came from Pikor," Brian said, "From Raptorland."  
"They came from far then," Kayla noticed.  
"Yeah, they came out of nowhere," Brian said, "I had reason to think they were coming to Eagleland, so here I am."  
"Well, they definitely came here," Kayla said, "In fact, they were targeting my family for awhile."  
"Really?" Mako asked, "I wonder why they would choose your family to target when they hail from such a distance?"  
"I can tell you why," Kayla said, "Their leader is none other than Pokey Minch."  
"The same Pokey that fought alongside Giygas twenty years ago?" Mako gasped.  
"Yes," Kayla confirmed, "I figured it out after encountering him a few times."  
"You faced that whole army?" Brian asked.  
"Actually, we defeated most of them," Kayla said, "And this creep named Elder Mook destroyed the rest. Only Pokey remains."  
"I barely managed to defeat one," Brian said, "You two must have pretty impressive powers."  
"I guess we can hold our own," Kayla said.  
"So Pokey," Mako said, "Any idea what his intentions are now?"  
"Not sure," Kayla admitted, "He knocked us out and took off. Before we really had a chance to figure out where he went we got mixed up in this mob business."  
"Well, I guess the more important thing is figuring out why he got here exactly," Mako said, "We were all the way in Saturn Meadows just a little bit north of Summers. Brian somehow transported us here."  
"Not sure about it either," Brian said, "I didn't really know where we were going, just that I had to be wherever there was."  
"Trevor's last words to you were to find the others, correct?" Mako asked.  
Brian nodded in response.  
"Then, I guess we have two two more of the chosen," Mako stated.  
"Chosen?" Kayla asked.  
"You think we're chosen ones?" Angela squeaked, "You mean, like the Chosen Four?"  
"That is my belief, yes," Mako replied.  
"Wow," Angela breathed, "That would be so cool!"  
"So you're saying all this is connected to the strange things going on?" Kayla asked.  
"A new force like Giygas is trying to invade our world," Mako said, "You mentioned seeing a mook. I myself had an encounter with a being named Supreme Starman."  
"A Starman," Angela said, "They were the right hands of Giygas."  
"Exactly," Mako said, "And when I spoke with Ness, Paula, and Jeff they agreed that history is repeating itself."  
"You've met the Chosen Four!" Angela gasped.  
"My father was one of them," Mako answered.  
"That's why you look so familiar!" Angela exclaimed, "You're Poo's son! That's so awesome! I've always wanted to meet him and the others!"  
"Well, I'm afraid you won't be meeting my father anytime soon," Mako said dryly, "Supreme Starman killed him."  
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Kayla said.  
Angela's face dropped. She felt as though someone knocked the wind out of her. She wasn't sure what to say or do. The news didn't seem to want to process in her brain.  
"That is why I set off to find Ness," Mako said, "My father was going to do just that before he was killed. Jeff theorized that there may be a new set of chosen kids to fight the battle, and a call from a friend of his in Summers about Brian confirmed it. Now the two of us have been brought here to you two who have also been fighting against the forces of evil."  
"So we really may be chosen," Kayla said, "This is intense."  
"It would be best then if the four of us teamed up," Mako said, "Compare notes and figure out what we should do."  
"I can fill you in on all that we've seen and know so far," Kayla offered.  
"As will I," Mako said.  
The two began discussing what has happened. Brian stepped away and over to Angela.  
"Are you okay?" he asked.  
"What?" Angela started, "Oh... yeah, I guess so."  
"You seem really affected by Poo's death," Brian noticed.  
"It just... really baffles me," Angela admitted, "I've grown up learning about the Chosen Four. I've read all about their journies and what they've done to save us all. The fact that one of them is now dead? I feel like... like..."  
"Like you've lost someone from your own family," Brian finished, "As much as Mako has."  
"Yeah," Angela said, "I know it sounds selfish."  
"No," Brian protested, "It sounds natural, and it says a lot about how much you can care for someone you don't even know."  
Angela smiled again, "Thank you. That was very nice."  
Brian smiled too, and the two seemed sort of lost for a moment.  
"Brian, I asked if you think we should try and find Pokey or not," Mako said.  
"What?" Brian gasped.  
"Well, Kayla and I have been talking about it, and it seems as though Pokey may be the easiest adversary to target for now, seeing as we have very little information on Elder Mook, Supreme Starman, or this Georg that Kayla encountered."  
"Yeah, I guess Pokey would be the best one to try and find," Brian agreed, "It is why I came here in the first place. He needs to pay for what he did in Pikor."  
"But where would he go?" Kayla asked.  
"Oh!" Angela gasped, "I just realized!"  
"What is it?" Mako asked.  
"It makes sense at least," Angela went on, "Why Pokey would go through this horrible transformation and what would motivate him the most."  
"Which is?" Kayla asked.  
"His hatred of Ness," Angela declared, "His mind is bent on that. This 'primary objective' he keeps referring to has to be that. He's going to go after Ness."  
"That would not be good," Mako said, "Ness is injured right now. Supreme Starman attacked him with something that cannot be healed with PSI. He'll recover eventually, but right now he is in no condition to fight anyone."  
"And Pokey is headed his way right now..." Kayla said.  
"We can't waste anymore time!" Angela cried, "We have to go to Onett right now!"  
One by one, Angela, Mako, and Kayla turned to Brian.  
"What?" Brian asked, "I'm supposed to decide?"  
The others looked at each other. They weren't really sure, but for some reason they sub-consciously turned to Brian for the answer.  
"Well, okay," Brian said uncertainly, "If Ness isn't able to fight, then we can't let Pokey get to him first."  
"I can't teleport us there," Kayla said, "I've never been there."  
"But I have," Mako replied.  
"A fellow teleporter," Kayla complimented.  
"It's settled then," Brian said, "Off to Onett."

"I didn't realize how far this place was before," Robert commented.  
"It is quite a trek," Jeff admitted, "We should be getting close now. I believe Stonehenge is just beyond those trees there."  
Robert and Jeff had been hiking through the woods for close to a half hour. Luckily the sun broke through the clouds so it wasn't as bitterly cold as it was when they first set out.  
"I just remain concerned about that kid Michael," Robert mentioned, "To think of what those guys might be doing to them."  
"Stonehenge is not a friendly place at all," Jeff said, "But you would do yourself best to try and not worry too much. Just remain focused on what you intend to do."  
"Something else that's on my mind is what Michael told me to do when I escaped," Robert went on.  
"Which was..." Jeff said.  
"He told me to find Kayla Monotoli," Robert said.  
"Gelgerade Monotoli's granddaughter?" Jeff wondered aloud.  
"So you've heard of her," Robert said.  
"By reputation," Jeff answered, "Or rather her family's reputation. I'm sure you've heard of the trouble Fourside has faced in the past due to that family."  
"You sound as though you have little respect for them," Robert noticed.  
"I suppose I just don't fully agree with the city's readiness to forgive Monotoli so quickly. I understand and sympathize with the manipulation that was put on him, but he still was the one who initially desired more than what he deserved."  
"Well, regardless Michael seems to feel I should find her," Robert said.  
"She'd be all the way in Fourside," Jeff said, "True I can get us there, but I just don't see what good it would do."  
"Is that it up there?" Robert asked.  
Jeff quickly darted behind a tree and looked. The stone arrangements that made up Stonehenge hadn't changed one bit since he first walked by them twenty years ago.  
"So, now that we here," Jeff said, "I suppose it is time to figure out what exactly..."  
But he was suddenly interrupted by a bang, and in an instant, Robert and Jeff saw the figure of Supreme Starman emerge from the entrance and soar off into the sky.

Ness pulled the shades away from his window and looked out into the sky. He couldn't help but to think about Mako and whatever danger he may encounter wherever he was. Ness shoved the shades away, and then winced when he accidentally hit his healing wound with his hand.  
"And that's why you should still rest," Paula advised, walking in the room.  
"That's only because I hit it," Ness reasoned, "I can do this now without it hurting."  
Ness rotated his arm around and stretched it back and forth. It felt a little stiff but he didn't feel any pain.  
Paula wasn't as impressed though.  
"You still need to wait for it to completely heal. You know it's not a completely natural injury. You can't risk triggering some other PSI that's inside it."  
"Yes, yes," Ness said impatiently, "We all realize my obvious incapability to do anything right now."  
"That's not what I'm saying, Ness," Paula said.  
"Well, it's how I feel," Ness barked, "Look at me! I'm not too old yet. I'm in good shape and my PSI abilities are greater than when I defeated Giygas, but it all seems pretty much worthless now, or at least that's what others say."  
"It's what we know, Ness," Paula said, "I mean, the fact that you aren't up to your full potential just right now."  
"Well, I can't take it anymore," Ness said, "I can't just sit by while all this is going on and do nothing about it. I have to help."  
"How are you supposed to help like this?" Paula demanded.  
"I don't know," Ness replied, "But I have to try."  
He began to leave the room.  
"PSI Barrier Beta!" Paula gasped.  
Ness walked into the invisible barrier that Paula created on his doorway. He slowly turned around and looked at Paula.  
He looked as though she had just viciously slapped him.  
"What did you do?" he asked slowly in a voice that barely sounded like him.  
"I can't just let you walk out there and get yourself hurt," Paula reasoned.  
"So you're going to keep me prisoner in my own home?" Ness asked, "You're going to use your abilities to _control_ me?"  
"That's not what I'm saying!" Paula cried.  
"You think I'm so pitiful now that the world can just walk all over me?" Ness continued, "I saved the world and this is what I get in return!"  
"Will you stop twisting my words around!" Paula demanded.  
"Well, that's me right now I guess!" Ness yelled, "All lost and _twisted_!"  
"Stop it, Ness!" Paula yelled, "I don't like hearing you talk like this!"  
"Well, guess what? NEITHER DO I!" Ness roared.  
He spun around and thrust his hand out at the doorway.  
"PSI ROCKIN' ALPHA!"  
Paula's barrier shattered under the force of Ness' attack.  
Ness stormed out of the room.  
"Ness, stop!" Paula yelled, "Ness, you come back here right now!"  
Paula heard the slamming of the front door.  
"Oh... god..." she whimpered.  
Christian sat on his floor playing with his action figures.  
"Get 'em, daddy," he whispered with a smile.  
He took the hero action figure, named Ness, and knocked the enemy action figure across the room. 


	19. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"That was Supreme Starman," Robert said.  
"So, that's the one," Jeff commented.  
There was an obvious tone of anger in his voice. So far Supreme Starman had incapacitated Ness and killed Poo. Jeff wanted to make him pay for all of that in spades.  
"He seemed to be in a rush," Robert noticed, "Too bad we can't just up and fly away like that."  
"Well, it may not be entirely wise to try and draw him into a fight as of yet," Jeff cautioned, "He definitely is a skilled fighter."  
"You have fought against advanced Starmen in the past," Robert pointed out.  
"I did have some help," Jeff reasoned.  
"Right," Robert replied, "Gotta fight PSI with PSI, don't we?"  
Jeff gave Robert a curious look, but remained silent.  
"So waht exactly should we do?" Robert asked, "I can tell this isn't the kind of place you can easily attack."  
"Indeed it is not," Jeff said, "I was more or less hoping to gather substantial information and relay it back to the others. Sadly, I do not feel that we have the necessary power to infiltrate and disable Stonehenge right now. It was nearly impossible to do so twenty years ago. I can't imagine it exists now without some improvements."  
"So we need to muster together a small army of sorts," Robert noted, "It's a shame I'm so far from Berk right now. If I could contact them, I'm sure they'd be a big help to us."  
Jeff looked down with wonder. He knew Berk was destroyed, and he know he should probably tell Robert about it, but he was worried about what Robert may do. He could tell Robert was very honorable and loyal, and his fierce loyalty to his people may drive him to doing something that would only lead to his death. No, for now at least, Jeff knew that he must remain silent. There would be time later for mournign Berk's destruction.  
"It's a mook," Robert said.  
Jeff's head snapped up as he looked at the mook emerging from Stonehenge's entrance.  
Jeff was able to notice some differences in this mook from the other mooks he has seen. This one was somewhat taller. It was a very dark shade of red. It's tentacles were longer than most mooks and it seemed to move with a grace not known among the rest of the mooks.  
"He's heading into a cave beyond Stonehenge," Robert pointed out.  
"Into that cave?" Jeff said shakily.  
"Do you think we should follow him?" Robert asked.  
Jeff moved out from behidn the tree and tried to get a better look. His mind was racing with the possibilities, with none of them being good.  
Suddenly, an alarm blared around them.  
"UNAUTHORIZED BIO-FORMS DETECTED! UNAUTHORIZED BIO-FORMS DETECTED!"  
"They have sensors!" Jeff gasped, "We have to move!"  
"ACTIVATE SECURITY BOTS!"  
Up the path from where Jeff and RObert stood, the ground opened up into tiny holes. Robots sprung out of the holes, holding guns and quickly scanning the nearby area with their red visors.  
"We have to hide," Jeff hissed, "We cannot risk a fight. There's no telling what else may be inside Stonehenge that we would awaken."  
Robert and Jeff quickly went ot the corner of the canyon and hunkered down within the snow banks, praying that they would not be discovered by the searching robots.

Shendi had to fly high above the ground in order to have somewhat of a clear view. The shadow of the Deep Darkness seemed to extend high into the air as well as covering the ground below.  
Finally, Shendi spotted a patch of light. He soared down and landed on the moist soil.  
"So, this is the entrance," Shendi mused, "It's of little wonder why few are capable of finding it."  
A wild n' Wooly Shambler soon touched down next to him.  
"You have your orders," Shendi said, "There shouldn't be any opposition standing in our..."  
"HIIIII-YAH!"  
"...way?" Shendi finished.  
As he spoke, serveral small bluish blurs soared overhead and landed on all sides of Shendi and the Wild n' Wooly Shambler.  
"Identify yourself, stranger!" one figure demanded, "Few come to these lands, and I would hope that you do not intend on coming here as foe!"  
"Tendas," Shendi identified, "Unusually loud ones at that."  
"We have come to greatly overcome the timidness that was our past," one Tenda declared, "Now, do as we say, identify yourself!"  
"As you wish," Shendi replied, "Whirlwind Pforce!"  
Strong winds suddenly raidiated from Shendi's spot. This caught the Tendas off guard and send them tumbling across the ground.  
"I am Shendi," Shendi introduced, "And it is you who would do well not to be a foe in my path."  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
Shendi spun around to see another group of Tendas leaping through the air, various weapons raised above their heads.  
"Foolish, little creatures," Shendi spat as he raised his hand, "Deflector Pforce."  
"Barrier!" the Tendas yelled.  
Yellow sparks suddenly shot out around the Tendas as Shendi's attack was knocked away.  
"What?" Shendi murmured.  
He barely had time to process it though as he jumped away as the Tendas swung their weapons. A few hit the Wild n' Wooly Shambler, knocking it down. It screeched in reply and shot out a series of beams which blew some Tendas away.  
"Quaint," Shendi complimented, "But ultimately inferior."  
Some Tendas jumped at Shendi, but he leapt high into the air and floated over them.  
"I would move if I were you," Shendi said to the Wild n' Wooly Shambler, "I doubt the master would want the plan to be delayed because I have to wait for a replacement Shambler."  
The Wild n' Wooly Shambler quickly joined Shendi in the air.  
"Now, watch carefully, "Shendi began, "Chaos Pforce!"  
Shendi waved his hand through the air, and the ground below was suddenly rocked with several explosions. The fish in the swampy waters of the Deep Darkness fled to deeper waters and the leaves on the trees fell off in response to the tremor. The dust slowly settled and Shendi smiled.  
"I think that should stifle any future annoyances," he said, "Now, onward!"  
Shendi hurried into the Tenda caves, followed by the Wild n' Wooly Shambler.  
The remaining Tendas inside seemed to suddenly remember how shy they once were and anxiously retreated into that state.

Mako, Brian, Angela, and Kayla slowed down as the teleportation ended.  
"Hmm, I was hoping to land right at Ness' house," Mako said, "But it's harder to judge where you're going to land when you're taking so many people with you."  
"Are we far?" Angela asked.  
"Not too far," Mako said, "Ness' childhood house is actually just up the road from here, but he's in a new neighborhood just northeast of downtown Onett. I guess it's about a mile from here."  
"Guess we should get going then," Brian said, "Pokey had quite a head start when he escaped from Twoson."  
"I just hope we can stop him in time," Kayla said, "And then I think seeing Ness will help us out some. He may know more information that will help me find Michael."  
"He just may," Mako said, "Jeff was going to head back to his lab and attempt to gather more information on the enemy. Perhaps he's learned more since I left."  
"So this is where it all began," Angela marveled, "That hightop over there is where the meteorite hit."  
"And now it all comes back here," Mako said, "Sort of fitting when you think about it."  
"It still feels so weird to me," Brian commented, "I just never imagined experiencing something like this."  
"Same here," Kayla said, "I just wanted to find Michael, but more and more I'm seeing that there's so much more going on. It's mind-blowing."  
"It's destiny," Mako said, "Same as before."  
"It's cool," Angela remarked, "All the stuff I've read about the Chosen Four. We're actually living it now, aren't we?"  
"Guess so," Brian sighed.  
Kayla stopped walking and looked towards the trees.  
"What is it?" Angela asked.  
"I thought I just saw..." Kayla began, "Nevermind. It's nothing."  
The four kept walking on.

Georg moved deeper into the woods next to the path Brian, Angela, Mako, and Kayla were walking on.  
_So, they're all here,_ he thought, _Judging by the direction they're heading, their goal must be to seek counsel with Ness. Musn't waste anymore time then._ Georg hurried to the edge of the woods and came to a rocky cliff. He flew into the air to the upper paths. Georg scanned around the vicinity. He knew that what he was looking for was nearby.  
"There," he said aloud as he noticed his destination.  
He flew over to a small valley and landed next to the large phenomenon known as "Giant Step".

"Over there is Ness' neighborhood," Mako announced.  
"No sign of Pokey yet," Kayla noticed, "Not sure if that's a good thing or not."  
Brian then felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt this feeling before, and it was usually for a good reason. Suddenly, before his eyes, he could see him aiming his murderous hands at them all, and the beams being fired, and the explosion.  
"Get down!" Brian yelled!  
On instinct, everyone dropped to the ground. As they did, a large energy beam soared past them and curved up into the sky.  
"Drat!" Pokey cursed as he stepped out from behind a nearby tree.  
"Well, I guess we found him," Kayla moaned.  
"This stalking that you're doing of me really has got to end," Pokey said.  
He noticed Brian getting up and cocked his eyebrows.  
"So you're here too?" Pokey commented, "How interesting, and the other boy could be a spitting image of that Poo character that hung out with the pig's butt. No doubt you're his son. I guess fate is choosing more annoying children to try and save the world."  
"Well, this isn't about any of that right now," Kayla said, "This is about stopping you."  
"I'd love to play," Pokey replied, "But I do have a prior engagement."  
"Exactly," Mako said. "You are not going to be visiting with Ness today," Mako declared, "Not while we're here."


	20. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"BOING!"  
"Not welcome visitor!"  
"Man of the Star! Bring terrible wrath!"  
"Run now! Live longer! BOING!"  
Supreme Starman swelled with glee as he tossed more Mr. Saturns around.  
"You are definitely an amusing species," Supreme Starman commented, "I'll give you that."  
Supreme Starman raised his hands and two more Mr. Saturn got sent into the air as they were trying to run.  
"This whole place is amusing really," Supreme Starman went on, "The tiny huts, the brewed coffee, the soothing springs. All nestled in this small little valley for all of you to try and hide."  
"Man of the Star!" a Mr. Saturn yelled, "Terrible wrath!"  
"You have no idea," Supreme Starman growled.  
He motions his arm and the Mr. Saturn crashed through the roof of one of the huts.  
"As much fun as I'm having, I'm afraid I cannot linger," Supreme Starman continued, "Rest well for now, Mr. Saturns, and do keep careful watch for any… future surprises."  
The rest of the Mr. Saturns that Supreme Starman had levitated fell to the ground as he released his hold and walked off laughing.  
"Danger!" one Mr. Saturn gasped.  
"Evil plot!" another Mr. Saturn declared, "Unseen threat! Doom!"  
"Doom for us all," a third Mr. Saturn whimpered.  
The Mr. Saturns huddled close together and wept.

"You will not stand in my way!" Pokey raged.  
He quickly held out his hands and twin beams shot out at the group.  
"PSI Shield Epsilon!" Angela quickly yelled.  
Pokey's attack got absorbed by the psychic shield.  
Pokey wasted no time and charged straight at them.  
"Be careful!" Kayla cautioned, "He can be very tricky!"  
Mako stood his ground and spoke, "You will _not_ bring harm to Ness."  
As Pokey reached him, Mako stepped slightly to the side and then jumped into the air. He spun around, bringing out his foot which struck Pokey in the back of his head.  
"Argh!" Pokey roared as he stumbled forward.  
"PSI Repel Alpha!" Brian yelled as he jumped in front of Pokey.  
Pokey was thrown backwards and landed on his back.  
"PSI Freeze Beta!" Kayla yelled.  
Pokey scrambled to roll away but still was partially hit by Kayla's attack.  
Pokey scrambled to his feet and was met by Angela, who took out her frying pan and smacked him across the face.  
"ENOUGH!" Pokey fumed.  
He jumped straight up and spun around quickly. A strong wind suddenly radiated from him and knocked everyone down.  
"PSI Fire Beta!" Brian yelled as he got back to his feet.  
Pokey grinned as the wall of fire rushed towards him.  
"Reflector," Pokey hissed.  
Brian's fire attack suddenly reversed course and raced towards Brian.  
"PSI Wave Beta!" Angela cried.  
She threw two big balls of water which connected with the wall of fire and extinguished the flames.  
"Thanks for that," Brian said shakily.  
"Anytime," Angela answered with a small grin.  
"Watch it!" Brian yelled.  
Pokey quickly leapt at Angela and grabbed her arm.  
"No!" she cried.  
Brian ran towards Pokey and pulled out his bat.  
Pokey quickly spun Angela around and slammed her into Brian.  
The two gasped and fell to the ground.  
Mako lunged at Pokey with his fist.  
Pokey spun around and grabbed Mako's fist in his hand.  
Mako quickly spun free and kicked at Pokey.  
Pokey blocked the kick and punched Mako across the face, sending him to the ground.  
Kayla began to move, but Pokey quickly appeared in front of her and knocked her down as well.  
"PSI Controller," Brian gasped as he got to his knees.  
He felt his mind become one with everything around him as things appeared to slow down greatly.  
"Distract him," Brian hissed to Angela.  
"PSI Wave Beta!" Angela yelled.  
Pokey turned and jumped over the rush of water that came at him.  
"PSI Wave Beta!" Angela yelled again.  
Pokey dodged the second wave.  
"PSI Mine Blaster Alpha!" Angela raged.  
"Reflector!" Pokey answered.  
"AHHH!" Angela screamed as the ground exploded beneath her. She flew through the air and landed hard on the ground.  
"Angela!" Kayla gasped.  
"PSI Thunder Beta!" Brian shouted.  
The lightning bolts soared down, and Brian watched their every movement and he sent them straight at Pokey.  
"What!" Pokey gasped.  
He brought up his hands to deflect the attack, but didn't' quit make it in time. One bolt bounded off but one struck and sent Pokey sailing backwards.  
Mako rushed over to Angela and said, "PSI Lifeup Alpha."  
Angela shook off her wooziness and stood up.  
"You little pig's butts are really starting to get on my nerves," Pokey growled.  
He stood back up and shot multiple beams out of his hands and eyes.  
Everyone did their best to dodge, but random shots struck the ground and exploded upward, knocking them all down.  
"We're not getting anywhere," Brian gasped.  
Pokey suddenly appeared above Brian and gripped his throat hard. Brian gasped for air.  
"You are definitely one I should have killed the second I saw you back in Pikor!" Pokey yelled, "Lucky for me I have time now to undo that mistake!"  
"That's enough, Pokey!"  
Everyone turned to follow the sound of the new voice.  
Ness stood not fifteen feet away from them, glaring hard at Pokey.  
"Put him down," Ness ordered.  
Pokey grinned, and dropped Brian, who began coughing hard. Angela ran over to him.  
"Well," Pokey mused, "We finally meet again. How's life?"  
"I guess it'll be a lot better once you're taken of," Ness growled.  
"Harsh," Pokey replied, "What happened to the soft, gentle pig's butt that ran around ruining my life with his stupid, innocent grin?"  
"He grew up," Ness answered.  
The two then just stood there, glaring at each other, and reminiscing of all their past encounters.  
Angela sat on the ground in awe. Ness stood before her. He was taller than even she thought he was. A couple inches over six feet perhaps. His shoulders were broad and you could see he had become quite muscular over the years, with no real sign of aging evident. The famous Chosen One was here to save the day once again. It was her dream come true.  
Mako slowly stood up, and eyed Ness curiously.  
_He seems to be able to move around fairly well now,_ Mako thought, _but there's no way his wound could have fully healed from this morning until now. None of this can be good. We may yet still need to fight._  
Brian looked at Ness hopefully. It was definitely weird finally seeing one of the Chosen Four. Brian had really never learned much about them except in a few stories told to him, and he never really thought about them, but now here we was, in the middle of this war and now in the midst of the legend. All the while a part of his mind was relieved that a real hero was finally here to offer some real help.  
"So that's Ness," Kayla said, "He actually looks pretty cute for an almost middle-aged guy. He definitely kept his younger features."  
"This is so awesome," Angela whispered.  
"So, Pokey," Ness said, "I guess you're not back in town to catch up on old times, especially given the… changes you've gone through."  
"Too right you are," Pokey answered, "I've spent years preparing for this. You humiliated me for the last time back in Giygas' lair. This time it'll be me making you look dumb and ruining your life!"  
"Fine then," Ness said, "Let's see you try."

Jeff moved cautiously from the spot he and Robert sat at.  
"I think they are slowly giving up their pursuit," Jeff said, "Soon we should be able to sneak back to the lab and figure something out."  
RING! RING! RING!  
Jeff nearly jumped ten feet as his receiver phone began ringing. He snatched it out of his pocket and answered.  
"Hello?"  
"Jeff, thank God," Paula answered, "I tried you at the lab and Apple Man said you had left to check out Stonehenge."  
"Indeed," Jeff said, "It is once again active, and definitely armed with sufficient defenses and security. I was about to head back to the lab and touch base with you. Is something wrong?"  
"I'm afraid what we discussed earlier may be becoming an issue," Paula said.  
"The PSI Tuner results?" Jeff asked.  
"Yes," Paula said, "It finished its full analysis a few minutes ago, and what you mentioned to me before you left seems to be true. The injury Supreme Starman left on Ness affected his mind as much as his body."  
"He is becoming unstable then?" Jeff asked.  
"Irrational, aggressive, and uncontrollable," Paula replied, "He got so worked up just before about not being able to do anything. He insisted on leaving and helping Mako out. I wasn't sure what to do, so on instinct I used my Barrier Alpha to block him from leaving the room."  
"I take it he didn't appreciate that," Jeff sighed.  
"Oh, Jeff, he didn't even look like himself anymore," Paula groaned, "He was furious. He began yelling, destroyed the barrier, and stormed out. I have no idea where he went."  
"This is definitely distressing news," Jeff said, "According to my tests, his injury may seriously cloud his judgement, and on top of that, it is most likely increasing his adrenaline and testosterone levels. He probably feels and is much stronger than usual which would lead him to think he can do anything even though the strain would not be good for him."  
"I'm scared for him, Jeff," Paula said, "I don't want him hurting himself."  
"You may have to go and try to find him," Jeff said, "The last thing we want is for him to get into some sort of fight. The results of that would simply not be good at all."

"AHHHHH!" Pokey roared, "It's time for you to pay!"  
Pokey leapt at Ness.  
Ness moved to the side and swung his fist so fast Pokey didn't see it coming until it collided with his jaw.  
Pokey's head snapped back and he stumbled a bit, but managed to spin around and kick at Ness.  
Ness hopped backwards and took another swing at Pokey.  
Pokey noticed Ness' fist this time and jumped through the air to the other side of Ness.  
Pokey was surprised at Ness' speed but refused to show it.  
"Impressive moves you've picked up there," Pokey complimented.  
"Did a little training with Poo," Ness replied, "Where did you steal your moves from?"  
Pokey growled and twin beams quickly fired from his eyes.  
"Shield Gamma!" Ness yelled.  
The beams bounced off of Ness' shield.  
"PSI Paralysis Beta!" Ness yelled.  
Pokey narrowly dodged the attack as he retuned with a freezing mist soaring out of his hand.  
"PSI Magnet Omega," Ness said and the mist dissipated as its PSI energy was absorbed into Ness.  
"Stop that!" Pokey yelled.  
He soared into the air and fired a monstrous beam at Ness.  
"PSI Rockin' Gamma!" Ness quickly yelled.  
His attack met Pokey's in mid air and the two bounced off each other and flew off into the air.

Brian, Mako, Angela, and Kayla had huddled together at a safe distance as the battle raged on. "This is intense," Kayla commented.  
"Ness' abilities are as good ever," Angela said, "Much better actually. And do you see hwo often he can use his PSI? He must have an almost endless amount of energy inside him."  
"This isn't good," Mako said.  
"What?" Angela replied.  
"Ness is still injured," Mako said, "He's hiding it well for now, but I've already noticed him favoring his right arm. All Pokey as to do is notice his weakness and he'll have a dangerous advantage."  
"Can't he finish Pokey off pretty quickly though?" Brian asked, "With the level his power must be at."  
"None of us know how strong Pokey really is," Mako reasoned.  
"Is he going to need our help then?" Kayla asked.  
"NO!" Ness shouted.  
The four of them jumped in surprise, not realizing Ness could hear their whispers.  
"You stay out of this fight!" Ness went on, "This is between me and this foolish child who calls himself a man."  
"I'm more of a man than you'll ever be!" Pokey raged.  
"Look at you!" Ness shot back, "You're not even fully human! You're nothing but a monster! And monsters can be easily killed!"  
Ness brought his arms apart and took a deep breath. His arm muscles bulged as an enormous amount of energy flowed down them and into his hands. He slowly rotated his hands around as rainbow colored lights began coming out.  
"PSI Rockin' Omega!" Ness raged.  
Colorful lights raced around in a circle and came down on Pokey. They struck and radiated outwards, causing multiple explosions and sending Pokey hurtling into the nearby trees.  
"That'll show him!" Angela cheered.  
"That wasn't necessarily safe," Mako said slowly, eyeing Ness even harder.  
"It didn't work yet," Brian said.  
Pokey leapt back to his feet. His right arm had a few circuits exposed now that seemed to be shorting out.  
"oh, you'll pay for that one!" Pokey shouted.  
He rocketed through the air at Ness. The next thing everyone knew, Pokey's fist punched Ness across the face. Ness fell back.  
"He's faster than we thought," Mako stated.  
Ness leapt to his feet. Pokey punched again. Ness grabbed Pokey's arm and picked him off the ground.  
Ness quickly spun Pokey through the air and threw him.  
Pokey flew through the air nearly fifty feet and crashed into a tree, snapping it in half.  
"Wow," Kayla and Angela breathed.  
"That's… not natural," Mako stuttered, "Ness' strength is superhuman."  
"How?" Brian asked.  
"I'm not sure," Mako admitted, "but I don't have a good feeling about this fight at all anymore."  
Ness wiped the sweat off his forehead and began moving towards Pokey to continue the fight.

Rygwar hovered back and forth in his lair.  
"Master," a mook hissed as it entered.  
"Report," Rygwar ordered.  
"They are all in place," the mook reported, "We are awaiting your orders."  
"Fantastic," Rygwar triumphed, "Soon, my goal will be reached."  
"The powers will be divided once more?" the mook asked.  
"It is a very complicated procedure," Rygwar admitted, "But the plan has been worked out carefully. It will not fail this time as it did last time. Do you know why?"  
The mook remained silent, unsure of what he should say.  
"I can explain it to you," Rygwar said.

"Long ago, my race used to be a dominant force among the galaxies. We were known as the Senkonytes and we were feared by millions all over the universe. There were few who were able to present a challenge to our might. However, fate intervened in our conquest. During one of the great wars, my race was poisoned genetically. Slowly, we have decayed into the nearly lifeless forms we are now, barely able to move around and forced to rely on technology for daily living.

"It was my brother, Giygas, who discovered the potent energies that make up all the planets. He deduced a theory of how we would be able to harness the energy of a planet and fuse with it to restore ourselves to our former selves. However, it seemed that the energy of each planet still proved ineffective on us.

"Giygas eventually discovered the planet Earth and its very unique energy. He was unsure of exactly how Earth came to have such energy, but his calculations clearly showed that earth's power would be enough to restore us. Giygas had flaws though, and he had another obsession that would be his ultimate downfall: his fascination with machines. He created robots to do his bidding, and while searching for the proper planet to restore us, Giygas also theorized a means for us to escape our fragile bodies and become one with a machine so that we can move around freely.

"Most of my kind rejected this notion though, deeming it blasphemous to our ancestors' beliefs and principles. Sadly, a civil war broke out and we lost many lives, not to mention time wasted fighting among ourselves instead of searching for the power we so desperately sought. In the end, Giygas' beliefs won out and several of our kind subjected themselves to Giygas' machine process, fusing themselves with "The Devil's Machine". Eventually, Giygas himself fused with a Devil's Machine shortly before going to Earth to finalize the invasion.

"Soon, reports came to us that the Devil's Machines were having adverse psychological effects on the Senkonytes, driving them insane and making them incognizant of their surroundings. Word was not able to be sent to Giygas, though, and he too fell into insanity before Ness and his friends found him. His weak mind state allowed the human Pokey to take control of him and attempt to use him to settle a petty score with his nemesis, Ness. Giygas was unaware of all this of course, and was incapable of using his powers to their full extent and thus was defeated by the Chosen Four and the invasion was halted.

"Moreover, the power of the Earth went to Ness and seemed lost to us. That is what we are now doing here. I will siphon the energies back out into the core of Earth and then extract them for myself, and once I do, I will be returned to my ancestral glory and wreak complete and total havoc among all who stand in my way! Where Giygas completely failed, I will completely triumph! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"


	21. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"We have to move quickly," Jeff said as he hurried through the dense woods away from Stonehenge.  
"So that was Paula, one of the Chosen Four," Robert noted.  
"That's right," Jeff replied, "And I'm sure you picked up on the seriousness of the phone call."  
"Something is wrong with Ness?" Robert inquired.  
"It was that Supreme Starman," Jeff cursed, "He had some unique attack that left a wound on Ness that could not be healed with PSI, but now it seems that it has also affected his mental and physical state."  
"So we got a souped up legend on the loose who might do anything," Robert commented, "Definitely doesn't sound good. We should get there ASAP."  
"We?" Jeff asked.  
"You may need some help," Robert said, "Are you and Paula able to stop Ness if he gets dangerous?"  
"I'm hoping it doesn't come to that," Jeff said.  
"But it might," Robert pointed out, "And you may need some extra firepower around to slow Ness down. I don't know how strong he's become, but I'm considered to be pretty formidable myself."  
"Just as long as you're not searching for a way to let loose with all your pent up aggression caused by Supreme Starman and that Shendi," Jeff retorted.  
"I'm no hothead," Robert shot back, slightly offended, "Like you said, hopefully no sort of force will have to be used, but just in case Ness can't be reasoned with, you should have a backup in place."  
"All right," Jeff said, "Sounds reasonable."  
Jeff wasn't sure exactly why he wasn't being cooperative. Most of his mind was preoccupied by whatever might be going on in Onett, and he hated that idea that it all may come down to him fighting against one of his best friends.  
"I can tell you're worried," Robert said, "But I have definitely learned that it's not good to let emotion take too much control in times like these. You'll need a clear and cool head to come out on top."  
"Well, you can't always just be devoid of emotion," Jeff answered, "Even if you are able to be, I simply cannot."  
"Not completely devoid," Robert said, "Just... balanced."  
Robert's mind wandered to Sarah as he spoke. Whenever he wasn't thinking about what was going on in the moment, his mind was on her. He blacked out as Shendi was picking him off the ground back in Berk, and he remembered seeing Sarah right there. What if she tried to save him somehow? What would Shendi have done?  
His heart ached as he thought about it, but just as he told Jeff, he had to know the time and place to be overwhelmed by emotion. When he got back to Berk. When he figured out what was going on and when he stopped Shendi, Supreme Starman, and whoever else was invading Earth... That's when emotion can rule the day, but not until then. Not until...  
"We're getting close to the lab," Jeff announced, "I just have to gather a few things and calibrate the Phase Distorter with the proper coordinates and we'll be off to Onett. I just pray we get there in time."

Paula ran up her street. She didn't even know where to begin looking for Ness. She couldn't even be sure that he was still in Onett.  
"Oh, this is silly," Paula snapped at herself, "Just concentrate and stop worrying too much. If I just focus I should be able to figure out where he is."  
Paula closed her eyes and said a small prayer. Even with her eyes still shut, she seemed to see much more than average people. She saw the blades of grass whistling in the wind on the outskirts of Onett. She saw the children playing at Polestar Preschool, and quite suddenly, she saw a hideous looking cyborg charge at her husband.  
"Ness!" Paula gasped.  
She then heard a distant explosion and turned her head towards it.  
"I'm coming, Ness," she cried and began to run.

The door of Ness and Paula's house slowly opened.  
Christian stepped out onto the front porch. His mother told him to wait in the house and that it was very important that he not go anywhere, but something in his mind was screaming for him to leave.  
He stood on the porch and looked out into their street. Everything seemed normal and quiet, and yet he felt bothered by something.  
Suddenly, he heard a small boom and looked out into the distance. His mind sensed something and recognized it instantly.  
"Daddy?" Christian spoke.  
Without any hesitation or thought to how mad his mom would be, Christian ran down the stairs of the front porch and ran down the street.

"ARRRGH!" Pokey roared.  
He slammed his fist into the ground, causing an intense vibration to rocket through the ground to where Ness stood.  
Ness stumbled and fell.  
Pokey took off from the ground and rocketed towards Ness with his fist flying forward.  
Ness brought up his arms to block. Pokey's fist struck his arms and the force seemed to vibrate outward all around them.  
Pokey quickly grabbed Ness by the shoulders and threw him back.  
Ness fell back into the wall of the cliff. Pokey fired a beam into the wall above Ness. The explosion caused many rocks to become loose and fall, burying Ness beneath them.  
"No!" Angela gasped.  
"Let's move quick!" Mako yelled.  
They began to run towards where Pokey was. Pokey turned to face them.  
"Now that he's taken care of," Pokey said, "It's time to handle you bunch once and for all."  
Mako ran out in front and prepared to attack Pokey, but before he did, a loud noise stopped him.  
A large rock flew off the pile and landed next to Pokey.  
"Hmm?" Pokey said.  
The pile of rocks were slowly pushed apart as Ness crawled his way out. His shirt was ripped up and his hat was crooked. He had quite a few cuts and scratches on him as well.  
"How?" Pokey gasped.  
Ness stepped away from the pile of rocks.  
"Not good enough, Pokey," he gasped.  
He straightened his hat.  
"There's simply no way a human could have survived that!" Pokey raged, "And since that's true, just what _are_ you!"  
"I'm too much for you, that's for sure," Ness answered.  
Ness panted a bit. Sweat was pouring off of him and his veins were pulsating.  
"Ness, let us help you," Mako said, "Something isn't right with you."  
"I told you to stay out of it," Ness growled, "and I mean it."  
It was then that Pokey noticed it. The scar from Supreme Starman's attack on Ness' chest. Pokey could tell it was still fresh.  
"You're injured?" Pokey wondered aloud, "All this and in reality, you're injured?"  
"Makes you feel even more pathetic, doesn't it Pokey?" Ness taunted, "A Ness that isn't even a hundred percent is still too much for you to handle."  
"You're not getting the better of me again!" Pokey yelled in an almost whining tone.  
"Cover your eyes!" Ness yelled to Mako, Angela, Brian, and Kayla, "PSI Flash Omega!"  
Brian and the others quickly covered their heads and shut their eyes tightly.  
"Noooooo!" Pokey gasped as his eyes were blinded by the intense light.  
"PSI Paralysis Omega!" Ness yelled.  
Pokey's body stiffened up and he collapsed.  
"He has him now," Angela said.  
"Looks like it," Mako said guardedly.  
"Curse you!" Pokey screamed as he struggled to move.  
"You should never have come here," Ness said, "Now, your pathetic life will come to a gruesome end."  
Ness held out his arms and began powering up his Rockin' Omega.  
"Ness, there's no need to kill him!" Mako gasped.  
"Yes, there is," Ness replied simply.  
"Ness, stop!" a new voice shouted.  
"It's Paula," Angela announced in awe.  
Paula ran up to the scene and towards Ness.  
"Ness, you need to stop this right now," Paula ordered, "You're not well."  
"Never felt better," Ness retorted, "Please don't get involved."  
"Ness, listen to me," Paula urged, "Supreme Starman's attack was more than just a physical attack. It was a psychic attack as well. You're not thinking clearly. You're not a murderer. Pokey is human."  
"Doesn't look like one," Ness growled.  
"But inside, he is," Paula pressed, "If you do this, there's no walking away from it. Do you hear me!"  
"Um... yea, Ness," Pokey muttered, "You're not the bad guy here. Come on now. There must be some way to talk about this, right?"  
"Shut up, Pokey," Paula spat, "You're not helping."  
"Ness, listen to your wife," Mako urged, "You must realize that you're not yourself right now."  
Brian exchanged nervous looks with Angela. Neither knew what to do to help.  
"Daddy!"  
"Christian!" Paula gasped, "I told you to stay at home!"  
"Daddy, you're hurt," Christian noticed.  
Ness finally seemed to notice something other than Pokey. He looked at his son and slowly eased up.  
"Nothing to worry about, sport," Ness said with a smile, "Your dad's just fine. He always will be."  
Paula began to form a smile, and then it happened.  
Paula saw a massive shadow overtaking the Earth. She saw Supreme Starman and a cloaked man. Both fired menacing attacks, and in the middle of it all was Ness.  
Paula staggered backwards and grabbed a tree to support herself.  
"Mommy, what's wrong?" Christian asked.  
"Oh, God," Paula gasped, "Ness, get away!"

"Master, they are awaiting you word," a mook reported as he ran into Rygwar's chamber.  
"The word is given then!" Rygwar chirped, "All forces, commence the attack!"

"What is it!" Ness yelled, "What do you see!"  
"Just get away!" Paula cried, "Get away before..."  
Suddenly, the ground gave a violent shutter.  
"What was that?" Kayla asked.  
A loud, whirring sound began radiating all around them.  
"It's coming from up there!" Mako yelled, pointing up the cliffs.  
They heard an explosion, and then a light appeared from somewhere over the cliffs, and then a gigantic wind soared down the cliffs.  
Dirt and small branches flew through the air as the wind kept blowing intensely. Christian began to fall, but Paula reached him and cradled him in her arms. Kayla and Angela grabbed a tree to hold themselves up.  
Pokey was pushed back against some bushes. He began to regain feeling in his legs, but it still wasn't enough to get up.  
"What's happening!" Brian gasped.  
Ness began to feel something inside him, and he looked up at the cliffs in terror.

A young girl walked up to the small outdoor market in Happy Happy Village. She pulled out her money to buy the apples her mom sent her out to buy. As she handed the money to the market owner though, an explosion of wind and debris rocketed out of the nearby cave entrance. The girl was knocked off her feet. She screamed as she crashed into a fence and lost consciousness.

The water of the hot springs splashed around violently while the Mr. Saturns were blown incontrollably around Saturn Valley.  
"Violent winds!" one yelled, "The doom is here!"

Jeff and Robert rounded another tree and could see the clearing far in the distance where Jeff's lab was. Suddenly, the ground shook slightly.  
"What was that?" Robert asked.  
Jeff slowly turned back. "It came from Stonehenge."  
Suddenly, a violent wind tore through the trees. Many branches and snow came flying at them.  
"Get down!" Jeff gasped.  
Robert and Jeff ran a bit and dove to the ground as the snow overtook them and buried them within seconds.

"Look, I'm very sorry that we're not getting anywhere, Mr. and Mrs. Monotoli," the chief of Fourside PD comforted, "but no one is sure of where your daughter went after arriving in Threed earlier today."  
"Well, she can't have just vanished," Mrs. Monotoli protested, "If you have to, expand the search. Call in more reinforcements. I want to know where my daughter is!"  
Before the chief could respond, his office shook violently and they heard many screams outside. The three of them ran to the window and looked outside. Many signs, bikes, and even motorcycles were flying down the street as a giant wind overtook the block. The chief looked down the street and his eyes widened.  
"Get back!" he gasped.  
He pushed Mr. and Mrs. Monotoli back just as a tree came crashing through the window.  
Mr. and Mrs. Monotoli fell back against the far wall, and as they looked up, they saw the chief crushed to death underneath the tree.

The castle in Dalaam shook and bits of the roof fell down as the winds flew upward through the village.  
Poo's wife, Li, clutched to a nearby column.  
A poof sounded in her ear and she looked up to see the Star Master.  
"You won't be safe here," he reported, "Come now!"  
He took her hand and the two vanished just as the ceiling caved in.

The Tendas fell to the ground as their village shook.  
"What did they do?" one Tenda gasped.  
The village leader made his way to the hole leading underground. Suddenly, a violent burst of air erupted from the hole and knocked him clear across the village.

The Tendas of Tenda Village 2 ran around in a panic as the ground tossed them around. The dinosaurs raced away from the far end of the Lost Underworld, where a river of lava burst out from the caves.  
"Do not fear!" the village leader shouted, "We are protected in this village with the wise rock! We will survive this! We will..."  
As he spoke, the dinosaurs stampeded through the village walls. A wetnosaur ran straight at the large rock in the center and shattered it into pieces as it continued to stampede on.

All at once this happened, and back in Onett, Ness cried out in pain. His body was surrounded by a white light as he floated slightly into the air.  
Eight beams of light erupted from within him and rocketed into the air.  
The winds died down and the shaking ended.

And Ness crumpled to the ground, unconscious and unmoving.


	22. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"NESS!" Paula screamed.  
In an instant, Paula sprang to her feet and was at Ness' side.  
"NESS!" she screamed again.  
Christian was soon at her side, also screaming and crying as well.  
"Oh, my God," Angela breathed, "What happened?"  
They all felt like their hearts were in their throats.  
"Is he..." Kayla uttered.  
"No," Mako gasped, "I can still see him breathing."  
"What happened to him?" Brian spoke in a strange, high-pitched tone.  
"I don't know," Mako answered, shaking his head, "I... don't know."  
All the while Paula continued screaming Ness' name, and Christian was now clinging to Ness' body, pleading with him to wake up.  
Tears began falling uncontrollably from Angela's eyes. She felt like the whole world was shattered before her eyes.  
While everyone was fixated on the motionless Ness, Pokey slowly stood up in the bush that he was stuck in during the commotion.  
_Strange,_ he thought, _My sensors picked up such a potent, pure energy during all of that. I wonder... Oh well, no matter. At least now I can finish what I started._ Pokey formed a big grin and stepped out of the bush.  
Only Brian finally broke his stare on Ness and noticed the now mobile Pokey as he raised his hand and began to gather energy for a final attack.  
This time, no questions arose in Brian's head. His mind didn't stop to think. It just acted.  
Brian walked away from the others and stood in front of Pokey.  
"I don't think so," Brian stated, "If you want Ness, you gotta deal with me first."  
Angela, Kayla, and Mako snapped their heads in Brian and Pokey's direction.  
Mako scolded himself for not remembering the threat of Pokey still being here.  
Paula slowly looked up and looked at Brian and Pokey through her streaming tears.  
"Show me what your made of then, little pig's butt," Pokey sneered.  
Brian held out his hand and the air around it began to swirl slightly as he gathered energy.  
Pokey watched him in wonderment.  
On top of the cliff overlooking them, a pair of feet appeared, and the cloaked figure of Georg lowered his head and looked down at scenario.  
Brian continued to gather energy, and Pokey squinted his eyes, practically curious as to how Brian intended on attacking him when they both knew he didn't have what it took.  
Suddenly, Brian grabbed his bat out of his backpack, and instead of unleashing a psychic attack, hurled the bat at Pokey.  
Pokey was so busy watching for a PSI attack, that he wasn't prepared for the flying bat, and it slammed into his forehead, stunning him.  
Brian quickly rushed to the other side of Pokey and placed his hand against Pokey's back.  
"PSI Repel Alpha!" Brian yelled.  
At point black range, Pokey felt like a pole was shoved through his back as he flew forward and landed on his side.  
Brian snatched up his bat and ran at Pokey, swinging the bat down hard.  
Pokey quickly rolled and dodged the bat.  
Brian didn't stop to look at Pokey, but instead just jumped away, and it was a good move since Pokey had popped up and swung at Brian.  
The force of Pokey's attack threw him off balance and he stepped forward as Brian reared back and swung his bat as hard as he could into Pokey's jaw, which cracked as Pokey fell over.  
Georg's eyes widened in approval.  
"Owwwwww!" Pokey moaned.  
"Let's get him now," Kayla pressed.  
"Wait," Mako snapped, "Let Brian do this."  
"But he needs help," Kayla protested.  
"Let him do this," Mako insisted.  
Kayla looked at Mako's determined expression, and silently looked back to the fight.  
Angela trembled quietly in back of them, one eye remaining focused on Ness.

There turned out to be some grass and weeds on the ground of the woods in Winters, and you could see some of it now that a large portion of the snow was pushed off the ground.  
About a hundred feet down from the small patch of grass, a giant mound of snow sat reaching the lower branches of the large evergreens.  
Slowly, a bit of the snow near the top of the mound began moving in and out, until finally a hand burst through the surface.  
A second hand appeared and the two violently thrusted back and forth to push the snow away, and soon Robert's head emerged as he forced himself the rest of the way out.  
As he held onto one of the tree's strong branches, he dug his hand back into the hole he made and grasped Jeff's arm  
Robert let go of the branch and pushed himself away from the mound of snow.  
As he fell, he dragged Jeff out of the mound with him.  
The two landed on the ground below, shivering and brushing all the snow off of them.  
"Th-thanks," Jeff muttered through chattering teeth, "W-wouldn't have been able to d-dig out by m-myself."  
"No problem," Robert answered as he stood up and shook the rest of the snow off his legs.  
"Mind figuring out an explanation as to what just happened?" Robert asked.  
"Haven't a clue," Jeff replied, "It was definitely bizarre. Whatever it was, it seemed to come from Stonehenge. The question is, did they set off some sort of weapon, or were they perhaps destroyed by some oncoming attack?"  
"Stonehenge destroyed?" Robert said earnestly, "Michael's still in there. If it was destroyed..."  
Robert turned around and began running back up the path.  
"Wait, Robert!" Jeff yelled, "You'll do no good running up there!"  
"We need to see what happened!" Robert insisted, "You go back to your lab and see if you can figure out what set off whatever that was and get whatever it is you need ready for our trip to Onett. Meanwhile, I need to at least see what happened to help explain it. Whatever I find may be crucial in what's to come."  
Jeff opened his mouth to argue, but he couldn't deny that Robert's plan wasn't without merit.  
"Okay," Jeff accepted, "But don't get into anything that's too much for you. Just find out what happened, and get back to the lab as soon as you can. Whatever happened, we're eventually going to need help, which is why we need to get to Onett."  
"Gotcha," Robert answered, "I'll be back within the half hour."  
"I hope so," Jeff said grimly and turned away towards his lab as Robert continued running towards Stonehenge.

Shendi flew down into the deep valley and landed in front of the spaceship.  
He quickly went up the hatch and hurried down the hallway to the main deck. As he entered, he saw that Supreme Starman was already there with Rygwar, looking at the monitors.  
"Master," Shendi announced.  
"Welcome back," Rygwar answered, "You have done well. The plan went exactly as I theorized."  
"The power of the Earth is ours then?" Shendi asked.  
"Well, not exactly," Rygwar replied, "More like it is available to be taken now. Observe."  
Shendi walked up to the other side of Rygwar and looked at the monitor. He saw on it a motionless Ness with his wife and son over him.  
"When you destroyed Ness' sanctuaries, you broke the bond that they have with Ness," Rygwar explained, "More to the point, you broke the bond with his power. Without those sacred locations providing a tie between Earth's power and Ness, the power was forced back out of him and into the Earth."  
"Is he dead?" Shendi inquired.  
"No," Rygwar said, "Although that would have been a most welcome side effect. Ness now lies in a coma. The sudden loss of the power that made him what he was proved to be a most terrible shock to his mind, and that shock has left his mind broken."  
"So he won't recover?" Supreme Starman asked.  
Rygwar's face twisted into a menacing grin. "Ness' wife and precious kid get to spend the rest of their days with a hero who is now nothing more than a permanent vegetable!"

The boy laid his soft hand on the small Tonka truck and raced it around the floor.  
He made a "Vroom!" sound with his mouth as he moved the truck around.  
The thin boy sat in a pretty dismal room. The sheets on his bed were old and scratchy.  
There was only one window in the room, and it was at the very top of the far wall and was too small to let in much light. There was a small dresser next to his bed that had two drawers half full with a few pairs of pants, some old t-shirts, socks with holes in them, and a few pairs of underwear.  
There was also no lights in the room. The boy could have opened up his door to let in some extra light from the hallway, but it was quieter with the door closed. He couldn't hear the frequent yells that were directed at a TV that was constantly on.  
The boy soon grew bored over racing the Tonka truck around. It was more work than it should have been anway, seeing as the truck only had three wheels on it.  
The boy stood up and looked around. He was a bit tall for his age. All the other ten year olds were shorter and bit chubbier than him.  
His tummy gave a soft rumble and he wondered if he felt like making himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but he wasn't sure if the bread was still all right to eat. It had been quite awhile since he last took some money from his mom's dresser and went to the market in town to get some food.  
He let out a soft sigh and decided it was worth the risk.  
He slowly opened his door and tip-toed down the hallway.  
When he reached the end of it he peered around the corner to look into the small den. His mother was sitting on the couch watching one of her soap operas. She reached out with her hand and picked up the glass containing her drink and chugged some of it down.  
The boy slowly made his way to the left to go into the kitchen.  
"Hey!" his mother yelled, slamming down her glass next to the half empty bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey and startling the boy.  
"Yea?" the boy answered meekly.  
"Why don't you get me some pretzels while you're in there?" the mother grumbled.  
"Okay," the boy answered.  
He went into the pantry and grabbed the bag of pretzels. He walked back into the den and brought them to his mom.  
She took the bag without saying anything and reached in to grab a handful of pretzels.  
The boy stood still and looked at the empty spot on the couch.  
"Yea?" his mom snipped, "What is it?"  
"I..." the boy began, "I was just wondering if I could sit there with you."  
"And watch soap operas?" the mother laughed, "Kids don't watch soap operas. Why don't you go find something else to do or something."  
The boy's chest felt tight, but he managed to get out the word "okay" without stuttering.  
He slowly walked away and went back to his room, no longer wanting a stale peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  
He closed his door and laid down in bed.  
Now that he was sure his mother couldn't hear, he stopped holding it back and sobbed into his pillow.

Georg slowly opened his eyes as his mind wandered back to the present and he looked down again at Brian and Pokey.  
After taking a deep breath, Georg leapt off of the cliff and rocketed down to the ground below, landing hard in between Brian and Pokey, who both fell down from the impact.  
"I'm sorry," Georg said, "I don't mean to interrupt this little altercation you two are having, but I find myself growing bored with it. I think it's time to step things up a notch or two. Don't you agree?"


	23. Earthbound Omega: Chapter 22

Earthbound Omega: Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Georg formed a grin inside of his large, billowing hood. All anyone else could see though was the eerie red glow.  
"You!" Kayla shrieked.  
"Ah, and you," Georg acknowledged, "I see you're still kicking after our last encounter. Too bad."  
"What have you done with Michael?!" Kayla demanded.  
"He's in good hands," Georg answered with a laugh.  
"Ooooooh!" Kayla screamed and tried to run at Georg.  
"Kayla, no!" Angela gasped as she held Kayla back.  
"Yes, do keep her at bay," Georg said, "We wouldnt' want any... accidents to happen."  
Brian and Pokey stood up and kept their eyes on Georg.  
Georg turned to Pokey. "So you're the cyborg pulling all the strings."  
"That would be me," Pokey replied.  
His cybernetic eye worked furiously at scanning Georg.  
Georg cocked his head. "Are you trying to get a look inside? See what I'm made of?"  
Pokey was taken aback and didn't know what to say.  
"I can show you," Georg offered, and in the blink of an eye he was in front of Pokey and swung his fist.  
Pokey sailed through the air and landed in a pile of bushes. He didn't get back up.  
"Don't see why Elder Mook had such a problem with him," Georg mentioned.  
Mako slowly moved closer to Brian and Angela.  
"We may have to make a quick exit," he whispered to them, "But we have to try and get all of us together so that I can teleport us away."  
Angela and Kayla nodded in response.  
Georg turned and walked towards Paula and Christian who were still crouched over Ness.  
"The fallen hero," Georg mused, "And the doting family."  
"Stay away from us, you monster!" Paula yelled.  
Georg stood over Paula and stared intently at her. He felt his heart pounding and his fingers were trembling.  
"Be careful," Georg growled, "Be very careful how you speak to me."  
"Get... away!" Paula shouted and suddenly Georg was picked up and flung several feet backwards.  
He landed on his side and rolled over a few times before springing to his feet.  
"Foolish," Georg spat.  
He turned to Brian, Mako, Angela, and Kayla who were inching closer together.  
"Yes, preparing for a teleportation?" Georg mused, "A much wiser move. Paula could learn from you lot."  
"What do you want with us?" Mako asked.  
"It's very simple," Georg answered, "Just submit to my master's wishes. Stop resisting and cooperate. The end will be much easier for everyone involved."  
"And we're supposed to just listen to you?" Angela piped up, "Look what you've done to Ness!"  
"And it'll be no different if you continue down this suicidal path of yours," Georg shot back, "I'm afraid you all haven't comprehended what you've gotten yourselves into."  
"No, _you_ haven't comprehended what you've gotten yourself into," Mako stated.  
"Such little fools," Georg grumbled, "You have no idea, but you will soon."  
Georg spread his legs a bit and extended his arms out.  
The air around him began circulating upwards. Small rocks on the ground around him began floating.  
Brian gasped as his mind seemed to pick up on something.  
"What's... happening," Brian murmured.  
Unnaturally warm air began blowing outward from Georg's position. The area around him began crackling with red electrical bolts. Georg began laughing as he brought his arms together.  
As he clasped his hands together, the wind coming from his spot increased dramatically. Brian, Angela, Kayla, and Mako struggled to stand up.  
"Mommy!" Christian gasped.  
He huddled down between Paula and the motionless Ness as various debris began hurtling towards them.  
"PSI Shield Epsilon!" Paula gasped.  
A bluish shield encircled Paula and her family, and the debris flying at them bounced off as it hit the shield.  
Pokey slowly rose his head. His circuitry began shorting out from the electrical energy in the air.  
"Astounding," he breathed.  
Slowly, the wind died down. A red glow seemed to be radiating from Georg, and every now and then, red sparks would go off from his aura.  
"So, as you can see," Georg said, "Any efforts you would make against me would be futile."  
"He's so powerful," Mako gasped, "We would never be able to present a challenge."  
Brian backed up a couple steps. This was way worse than the fear he experienced while fighting Senior Mook. Senior Mook was nothing compared to what Georg was. He couldn't fathom how he would ever be able to deal with a being like Georg, let alone his master.  
Paula squinted her eyes as she looked at Georg. The tears had stopped falling and the sniffling was gone.  
"Christian," she said firmly, "I need you to stay here with your father. Do not move. Understand?"  
Christian couldn't remember his mother sounding like she did just then, but he could tell now wasn't a time to argue. "Yes, mommy."  
Paula got to her feet and walked quickly towards Georg.  
Georg spotted her out of the corner of his eye and raised his eyebrows.  
Paula walked around him and stood in front of him.  
"I'll be your challenge," Paula stated.  
Georg's heart began to race again and his fingers trembled.

The trek back towards Stonehenge was certainly easier this time than last time due to the lack of snow on the ground.  
Robert moved swiftly and quiety through the trees. At times he had to climb over some fallen trees, no doubt blown over by the strong winds.  
Robert was glad he was on his own this time. He definitely would have taken longer if Jeff was with him.  
Plus he wasn't sure if he entirely liked Jeff or not. He seemed overly critical of Robert for whatever reason, and Robert felt like Jeff knew more about him than he let on.  
After climbing over a particularly large tree, Robert saw the end of the forest. The first thing he spotted was the familiar sight on Stonehenge.  
"So it's still standing," Robert noted aloud.  
He was glad about this. Despite the evil it represented, there were still innocents inside Stonehenge, including Michael. Robert was determined to make sure he lived up to the promise he made to Michael.  
_Find Kayla Monotoli_  
Robert recalled the name now from some history books. Monotoli was the name of the famous, or infamous, tycoon from Fourside who became involved in the war against the alien Giygas twenty years ago.  
Robert wasn't sure what a Monotoli would do to help him now, but he was pretty sure Michael wouldn't have used the few seconds he had to give him useless information.  
As Robert got closer to Stonehenge, he was finally able to spot the source of the explosion. Robert couldn't help but to stop in his tracks and let out a gasp.  
The mountain behind Stonehenge looked like it had simply collapsed. All that was left was a giant pile of rocks, snow, and twigs.  
"What happened here?" Robert mumbled.  
It was then that something else clicked in his mind.  
During his training, Robert was schooled in all the details of the war with Giygas, and he recalled now what was hidden in the mountains behind Stonehenge.  
The Rainy Circle.  
One of the sanctuaries that helped defeat Giygas.  
_There's no way it survived that,_ Robert thought, _But a sanctuary destroyed? What... does that mean?_  
He decided that nothing else could be figured out from here. Jeff may not be 100 likeable, but he was very knowledgeable in all this.  
Robert turned around to hurry back towards the lab. He had to tell Jeff what he saw, and they had to get to Onett as soon as possible. This was definitely a job for the Chosen Four.

Far in the east, further even than Dalaam, lay this small village named Mandua.  
Mandua didn't really interact much with the rest of the world. The people lived in seclusion.  
They grew their own crops. Killed their own food. Governed their own ways.  
In truth, very few places around the world even knew of its existence.  
The village was run by a council of shamans, each posessing the art of PSI, and the council was protected by... those on horses.  
Nearby the village rested a smaller village of peaceful folk.  
Peace, however, was hard to come by recently, and even though the location of these places remained hidden to most of the rest of the world, that didn't apply to those not of this world.  
Slithering, hissing, with tentacles lashing about.  
The mooks stormed into the small village and began terrifying the inhabitants. They lashed out and tore down houses with their tentacles.  
They scorched the crops and burned the stables with fiery hot beams shooting from their eyes.  
Within Mandua, the gates to the council's headquarters opened, and five horses galloped out.  
They slowly picked up the pace until they were running at full force towards the small village.  
Atop each horse sat a rider, each wearing billowing cloaks and hoods.  
As they neared the battle, each unsheathed a weapon.  
One withdrew a majestic longbow.  
Another unveiled a ferocious pike.  
The third pulled out a sleek kitana.  
The fourth unleashed a glowering war axe.  
The one in the lead unsheathed a mighty longblade.  
The mooks took notice of the five approaching horsemen, and quickly charged at them in glee.  
The horseman in the lead raised his longblade up high, and the other four followed suit with their weapons.  
An electrical charge seemed to form between the five weapons, and then a massive electrical and colorful attack was unleashed forward towards the mooks.  
The villagers covered their eyes and screamed in shock.  
When the noises died down, the villagers slowly opened their eyes. Dust and debris covered the area in front of their village.  
As the dust cleared, the five horsemen emerged and galloped on past the village.  
No sign of the mooks could be seen.

Georg widened his stance slightly.  
"You may want to reconsider, my dear lady," he spoke menacingly.  
"I've seen your kind before," Paula replied, "I've fought them many times over. I think it is _you_ who wants to reconsider."  
"I am not so easily intimidated," Georg spat and in an instant a fierce wave of wind rocketed from him towards Paula.  
Just as fast, a bluish aura surrounded Paula, and Georg's attack ricocheted off it and snapped a high branch of a tree, sending it to the ground.  
"Excellent speed," Georg complimented, "Now can you evenly match that with enough power?"  
Georg held his hand out and spoke, "Breaker Gamma."  
An arrow-shaped bluish figure raced through the air towards Paula.  
She once again deflected it with her shield and answered, "PSI Thunder Omega!"  
Four bolts of lightning struck down at Georg. He dodged two and knocked the other two away.  
"PSI Fire Omega!" Paula yelled.  
"Freeze Omega!" Georg answered.  
Their two attacks collided and turned into a vast cloud of steam.  
"Thunder Gamma! Wave Gamma! Fire Omega!" Georg shouted.  
Paula and everyone gasped as three lightning bolts struck along with strong waves of water and a wall of fire.  
"PSI Shield Omega!" Paula gasped.  
The one lightning bolt that headed for her bounced off the shield. The water weakened it, but eventually splashed aside. Paula saw her shield cracking as the Fire Omega beared down on it and she threw herself aside, feeling the fiery embers scrape past her.  
"Mommy!" Christian gasped.  
"Stay!" Paula answered fiercely.  
"How did he do that?" Kayla demanded, "He pretty much executed all those attacks at the same time. I didn't know that was possible."  
"It isn't," Mako said quietly, "The mind requires a certain amount of time to recover after focusing so much energy on a single attack. To try and execute multiple PSI attacks at once would damage the mind beyone repair."  
"Well, that doesn't seem to be a problem for him," Brian whispered.  
"No," Mako agreed, "No, it doesn't."  
"So what does that mean?" Angela asked.  
Mako stared hard at Georg and said, "It means whoever this guy is, he's beyond all of us. We must get away. Anyone left here will be killed."  
'I agree, Mako,' Paula's voice spoke in his head.  
'Paula?' Mako answered.  
'We must find a way to get us all to safety,' Paula said, 'At the very least, all of you and my son must get away.'  
'You must flee too,' Mako urged, 'He's as much a threat to you as he is to us all.'  
'But I am the only one who can stall him long enough,' Paula pointed out, 'And I need to get him further from the town. There's too many innocents around to--'  
"Yes," Georg piped up, "I agree."  
"Hmm?" Paula gasped.  
"There are alot of people around here," Georg continued, "It's true they may... get in the way of our battle."  
Georg raised a hand in the air, "Allow me to take care of that problem."  
A ball of energy formed above Georg's hand, and suddenly beams fired out of it and all around where they stood. They tore through the trees and into neighborhoods and the downtown area. Screams were heard from people rushing to get out of the path of destruction as cars exploded, windows shattered, and the very ground torn up.  
"Noooooooooo!" Paula screamed.  
She raced towards Georg at a supernatural speed, held out her hand in which the Holy Frying Pan appeared, said a quick prayer that caused the pan to glow, and then swung forward.  
The pan connected with the side of Georg's face. His head jerked back and his whole body began to fall to the side. He quickly moved his foot out and caught himself from falling.  
He stood for a moment with his head pointed towards the ground then slowly looked back at Paula.  
His hood had come off due to the blow.  
Paula knew now was the time to attack again, while Georg was off guard, but she couldn't help but to stare in wonderment.  
His face was shaped like a human's.  
His eyes though were red with eerily green pupils.  
His head though.  
It was bald, and it looked as though the back of his head was swollen. It portruded out with veins running through it.  
"My God..." Paula breathed.  
"Not quite," Georg said with a smile, "But almost."


End file.
